In the Shadows
by Super Ceech
Summary: Haunted her whole life by foreseeing unnecessary deaths that she was unable to prevent, Kagome is determined to save the life of the latest boy in her visions. IK, MS
1. The Vision

Blood.

It was everywhere.

She was covered in it, but it wasn't hers. She couldn't get it off, it was all over her.

Her hands were dripping with it. Her clothes were stained with it. It was all around her and she couldn't escape from it.

She looked down at the source of it all. The bleeding body filled her entire vision. She saw every detail of his blood splattered face His teeth ground together and his eyes were squeezed tightly shut in an effort to relieve the pain. His brow was contorted in agony and her heart clenched at the sight of him.

She saw the clenched hands clutching at the fresh wound in his chest, the blood oozing out between the fingers. She saw the long black hair fanned out underneath him, many locks of it matted with the horrid red liquid.

She tried to speak, but she had no voice.

She tried to move, but she had no control over her body.

The boy before her lifted one hand away from his injury and attempted to reach out to her. She saw him struggle to open his dark eyes in order to see her.

She still couldn't move. She could only watch.

The hand reaching out towards her soon lost its strength and it tumbled back to its owner's side. The muscles in the boy's whole body relaxed and went slack. He was de-

"NO!!!" Kagome screamed as she bolted upright in her bed. She panted heavily for a few minutes, uncomfortably aware of the cold sweat dotting her forehead and cheeks. She glanced at the room around her.

A few of the other orphans stirred in their beds, but unusually, none of them were awakened by Kagome's loud outburst. Kagome ignored them again and turned to the window by the side of her bed.

The boy's face haunted her. All of the blood...all of the pain...

Glancing at her dim reflection in the dirty pane, Kagome watched as a lone tear streaked down her right cheek.

"No..." she whispered, still thinking of the boy in her dream. "Not again...

"Not another one."

..:V:..

A/N Oooh, is it creepy yet? Kinda? Just a bit? Well, it's bloody to be sure, lol. Oh, well. I know it's kind of short (ridiculously so), but it needed to be. It's more like an introduction than anything else; I promise the chapters will get longer as it goes on.

And I promise not to reduce the frequency of King of the Hill's updates in any way, shape or form. Scout's honour. Though I never went to Scouts...

And as a disclaimer, I don't own Inuyasha, but if I did, I wouldn't be writing and posting its fanfics on this site, I'd be publishing them for fun alternatives to the original plot line. Though that would still be kind of weird...

So I'll talk to you all later and I hope to hear what you think of my new fic! (Even if it is a bit short...)


	2. Madison College

Disclaimer: I own Inuyasha and all the characters in it. What? It's true! Why are you looking at me like that?

A/N Here's the next chapter, everybody! Yes, I'm VERY aware the last one was short, okay? I promise to make them a lot longer; about as long as my King of the Hill chapters. Alright? That last one was just an introduction to give you a feel for the story.

And as to whether Inuyasha's a full human, or a hanyou...I guess you'll just have to wait and see. Don't worry. You'll find out probably in the next chapter.

And Inuyasha is full human in King of the Hill, but I let him keep his silver hair and golden eyes.

Now, on with the next (and longer) chapter!

..:V:..

"...And then you calculate the square of side C by adding the squares of sides A and B," the teacher droned on.

Kagome stared unseeingly at the math instructor. She sat back in her seat, and she felt her eyelids drooping due to the lack of excitement around her. Her whole class was bored to tears and the teacher refused to in some way make the class more interesting.

Kagome tried to concentrate on the formulas in front of her, but they kept blurring in front of her sleepy eyes. She hadn't slept well at all the previous night, her dreams all being filled with that horrendous vision of the boy...

And now she was fighting to stay awake, and losing the battle miserably. She tuned out the monotonous voice of the instructor and everything in the room became a blur as her eyes unfocused.

Kagome's mind started to shut down and she began to slip into unconsciousness...

The boy's body was in front of her again. There was no less blood than last time. She still couldn't get away from it or get the sticky substance off of her. She was frozen to the spot and her eyes were glued to the sight in front of her.

As she had already once seen the dying boy in her visions, her eyes noticed different details than from the first time she had seen him.

She noticed the faint bruises evident on his face and arms, as if he had been involved in a terrific struggle. His shirt was torn in various places, most obviously where his gaping wound resided in his chest. His jeans were dishevelled and dirty, and they sported many holes themselves.

A glimmer caught her eye and she looked down at one of the bottom corners of his shirt. A tiny pin was attached there and glowed a ruddy colour in the dim light. She could just barely make some lettering engraved on it: MADISON C.

Her attention was immediately pulled away by the fact that the boy had started to reach out for her again. Remembering the previous vision, she gave a slight scream and wrenched her mind back on track.

Kagome came back to awareness with a start. She was trembling violently and her hands were clenched so hard on the edge of her desk, her knuckles were turning white. She could feel almost thirty different pairs of eyes on her, staring in wonder.

Her classmates surrounding her started whispering frantically.

"Did you see her? She was in like a trance or something!"

"Yeah, that was totally freaky! Then she started shaking and gripping her desk!"

"And she even screamed!"

"What's WITH her?"

"I dunno...weird..."

"Hey, it's just like when Hojo-"

"AYUMI!" the teacher barked harshly.

Kagome had gone deathly pale. She asked in a voice, barely more than a whisper, "C-could I please go to the washroom?"

The teacher, seeing she was completely shaken, kindly assented.

Kagome clumsily stood up from her chair and stumbled out of the classroom, using random desks and chairs to help support herself.

She staggered into the bathroom and made her way to the sinks. Turning on the taps, she cupped her hands together to gather some water which she soon dashed across her face. She looked up and stared blankly at her reflection in the mirror.

There was something different about this boy...

Who was he? She was fairly certain she'd never seen him before in her life. He looked only a few years older than her...aside from the blood, he looked so normal... But...but if he was going to-to end up like...like THAT...

NO! She wouldn't let it happen! She couldn't...if she did...she didn't think she'd be able to handle it. She wasn't sure how she managed to live a day-to-day life as it was...attending a normal high school, surrounded by normal kids, pretending to be normal herself...

It was no use. She couldn't witness another...one... She'd lose her sanity for sure. There MUST be a way of saving this new boy. There MUST. And she had to find it, for his sake, and her own...

She looked back down at the sink and turned off the running water. There was no way she could go back to class now. With those gossiping girls, she wouldn't be able to last long before she near exploded on them...or was crushed by horrible memories they reminded her of...

She had to THINK. How could she find this boy? That was the first step to saving him. There must have been SOMETHING about him in her vision that could help her out...

Well, she'd certainly never seen him before, so appearance couldn't help her... She hadn't been able to determine anything about his clothes since they were so torn, dirty and bloody...and the dim lighting also hadn't helped. But what about him could she...

The pin! That curious pin on the bottom corner of his shirt...MADISON C. What could that possibly stand for?

Well, she could certainly find out easily enough. Leaving the bathroom, and quietly slipping past her math class that was still in session, Kagome headed for the school library. Upon entering, she flashed the librarian a weak smile before finding herself a computer and logging in.

Quickly booting up the internet, she transferred to a search engine and typed in "Madison C." When the results loaded up, the most promising one appeared to be an official site for "Madison College." She clicked on the link and entered.

Immediately, she noticed that the logo for the school was the same as the insignia on the pin. It appeared the school was a boarding school for students from grades one to twelve. It was a fairly prestigious school and demanded the best from its students academic-wise. She read a little more information and discovered that the school was located in a city not half an hour from the one she was currently living in.

Kagome sat for a moment, looking thoughtfully at the screen. Judging from the fact the boy had a pin of Madison College on his shirt, one could easily assume he attended the school. An idea started to form in her head...

The only way to be able to find and then stay close to this boy would be to transfer there herself. She could then have much better access to him and help protect him from the gruesome fate she foresaw. And since it was in a different city, she might be able to leave a bit of her past behind...

She shuddered. She'd do anything to lose those memories. The more she thought about it, the better this spontaneous idea sounded. After all, it would be like a fresh start; there would be no rumours, no whispers as she walked by, no pointing fingers and no staring... She might even make a few friends.

She violently shook that thought out of her head as soon as it came to her. It was preposterous. She wasn't meant to have friends. She COULDN'T have friends. Not after...

Someone in the library coughed and Kagome came out of her reverie. Her eyes cleared and she quickly logged off of the computer she had been using. She had made up her mind; she was going to Madison College.

..:V:..

"Are you sure, Kagome?" Ms. Cortner, the woman in charge of the orphanage asked. "You want to switch schools? Again?"

Kagome sat patiently before her in her office. "Yes. I can't take it anymore; I have to get away."

"Hmm," Ms. Cortner pursed her lips together thoughtfully. "And where is it you'd like to transfer to?"

Kagome lowered her head a fraction and mumbled, "Madison College."

The head woman sat up straighter in her chair. "Madison College?! But dear, that's in a completely different city and it's a prestigious boarding school! Why would you ever wish to go there?"

Kagome shot her head up defiantly. "There's...there's something I have to take care of... And I told you, I can't take it anymore. When I said that, I didn't mean I couldn't take it anymore from the school I'm currently attending, I meant that I couldn't take it anymore from this entire city! I need to get away, try to start again."

Ms. Cortner, with a kindly, but worried expression on her face, tried to reason with her. "But, Kagome honey, where would we get the money to transfer you to Madison? It's an extremely expensive school to attend."

Kagome didn't back down. "What about the inheritance from my parents? It's to use for my education and such, isn't it? What better time to delve into it a bit? They left Souta and I quite a sum after all."

"Yes...yes, they did..." Ms. Cortner admitted. "But...oh, but Kagome!" she continued, almost pleadingly. "You know as well as I that you're not quite...stable, as it were..."

Kagome's eyes flashed. "I'm not insane!"

"Oh, I know, dear, I know..." Ms. Cortner hastened to say. "But...child, you've had terrible things happen to you...I just...well, nobody can be unaffected after going through what you have and..."

Kagome snapped and shot to her feet. "Stop trying to understand me!" she shouted. "You can never understand...! NOBODY can understand!"

Ms. Cortner looked stricken. "No..." she whispered faintly. "Of course not, child... I didn't mean to seem as if-"

"Forget it," Kagome said shortly, sinking back into her chair. "Save your breath. Souta will come with me. He'll help to 'keep me stable' as you put it," she sneered.

Ms. Cortner sighed. "I suppose that would be alright...but, Kagome, I must ask you once again: are you sure about this? There will be no familiarity in this new school except your younger brother. You will have no connections and there will be nobody there that would understand your...unique situation. It could very well be a terrifying experience."

"I'm fifteen and well prepared to face the consequences of the decision I've made," Kagome said firmly.

"And it's not only yourself you must think about," Ms. Cortner continued on. "Remember that you're also asking your brother to leave behind everything he knows here to come with you."

Kagome ground her teeth together. "Are you calling me selfish, Ms. Cortner? Do you presume I'm not taking my brother into account? I've already consulted this matter with him, and let me tell you that he's readily agreed. I would never make a decision that concerned him without talking it over with him first!"

"Very well, child, very well," Ms. Cortner said, hoping to placate the girl somewhat. "I didn't intend to make it sound as if I were accusing you. I just want you to consider this decision extremely carefully and make sure that it truly is the one you want to make."

"I'm completely and utterly sure," Kagome said in a determined tone.

Ms. Cortner sighed and relented. "Alright, Kagome, alright. I'll see that you're transferred there."

"As soon as possible," Kagome pressed.

"As soon as possible," the head woman agreed.

..:V:..

"Will I like it there, Kagome?" Souta asked eagerly.

Kagome smiled lovingly down at her younger brother as she helped him pack. "I'm sure you will, Souta. I hear that it's a very nice school and you were always one to quickly make friends. I'm sure you'll love it there."

Souta looked up at her with a slightly concerned expression. "Will YOU like it there, big sis?"

Kagome didn't look at him. "I'm sure I'll like it too, Souta. It will give me a chance to get away from...all I've been through. I'll have a great time!"

Souta looked at her with a shrewdness unusual in a nine-year-old. "That's not it, is it? That's not it at all. Going to this school won't get you away from it; it'll take you right into it. It's happened again, hasn't it?" he asked suspiciously.

"No..." Kagome said, fiddling with one of his shirts. "I just...well...oh, it's no use. I can't keep anything from you, little bro. Yes..it's happened again. But, this time, I don't know him...I have no idea who he is. But I figured out that he goes to Madison College... Don't you see, Souta? This time I have to DO something about it. I HAVE to save this boy. That's why I have to go to Madison. I can't let anything happen to him. I can't see IT happen again...I don't know what I'll do if I do." With that, she buried her face in the shirt she was holding.

She felt two small arms snake around her waist and squeeze in gentle reassurance. She turned to her younger brother and hugged him back fiercely. She clung to him as if he were her lifeline, something which they both knew to be an actual fact. He was there for her; he protected her from losing hope and any sanity she had left. He helped her get through every difficult thing she had gone through and she loved him to death for it.

Before she knew it, Kagome had started crying; large, racking sobs that shook her entire frame. She remembered everything that had ever happened and she couldn't bear it. The pain she carried was too great.

Souta tried to comfort her as best he could. "It's okay, sis; it's alright. We'll go to this new place and it'll be much better. You'll save this new guy, I know it. It'll be fine. 'Cause I'll help. I'll help you sis. I'll help save him...and you."

..:V:..

A/N See? It's longer this time. And it might even get a little longer in future chapters.

Anymewho, Kagome and Souta should arrive at Madison College in the next chapter and they should meet Inuyasha soon...so stay tuned! This is gonna be one creepy, fun fic!

But, don't forget to tell me what you thought of this chapter and I'll talk to ya later!


	3. The Boy

Disclaimer: Apparently I'll get sued if Rumiko Takahashi ever got wind that I claimed I own Inuyasha...but you guys wouldn't tell on me, right? RIGHT?!

A/N Heya, folks! Sorry about the looong delay, it was due to various reasons...this has been one heck of a busy summer for me...at least I have no more homework to do! For another month at least...

And to answer your question, Goddess of infinity, yes, I'll probably take turns at updating KOTH and this one...it makes sure that they're both looked after equally and it just makes life generally easier for me...

And I'll just say that Kagome's NOT insane...yet...she's being driven to the edge, I guess you could say; the circumstances of her life have not been kind to her...and everyone else believes she IS insane...which she's technically not...but that's all I'm saying! As to what happened to Hojo...you'll find out later! :P

On with the chapter!

..:V:..

Kagome looked gloomily out of the train window. The terrain passed by in a blur, the trees and vegetation all melded together, as she lost herself in her thoughts.

She and Souta were now on their way to Madison College... Kagome wished she could say she was excited, but the only feeling she had was a queasy one deep in her stomach. She couldn't keep the thought from her mind of what might potentially happen during her stay at this new school...she was scared to death. But she was determined. She couldn't back down, not now, not ever.

It was a week since she had spoken to Ms. Cortner about transferring. Since then, the head woman had contacted the boarding school and arranged for Kagome to take an entrance exam. Kagome had aced the with flying colours and now the school was suggesting that Kagome move up a year more than her age; that she move directly to grade eleven instead of continuing on with grade ten.

Kagome had considered it carefully and then accepted the idea. It wasn't that she was exceptionally gifted, but she concentrated on her school work with such an intensity that it tended to reward her with above average grades. School work was the only thing she had to distract her from the real world, and so she paid it extra special attention.

The scenery outside the window slowly shifted from wilderness to the outskirts of a city.

"Are we almost there, sis?" Souta asked her from his seat across from her.

Kagome mustered a smile for him. "Yup! Only about fifteen more minutes, Souta. We'll be there before you know it."

Her brother nodded and went back to playing on his Game Boy. Kagome watched him fondly for a moment before once again turning back to the window.

Apparently the headmistress of Madison College was a Ms. Kaede Hakaru and she had been in charge of the school for the past twenty years. Kagome was to report to her immediately upon her arrival.

Kagome sighed. And after she had met and talked with Ms. Hakaru, she'd start looking for this mysterious boy...the one with long black hair and compelling, dark eyes. She thought she would recognize him...though his features were obscured by the distortion of pain, not many boys had long, black hair like his.

A few more minutes passed while Kagome sat brooding, but eventually, the train pulled into the station and it was time to disembark. She and Souta gathered their things and hopped off the train.

As soon as they entered the main part of the station, Kagome crossed over to the payphones and looked up a local taxi service in the phonebook. She dialled the number and asked for a taxi to come to the station and pick the two of them up. With that, she joined Souta who was sitting on a nearby bench. He tried multiple times to engage her in conversation, but she only responded distractedly and listlessly. He eventually gave up and they waited for a few minutes in silence for the cab.

When it arrived, they grabbed their luggage and went out to meet it. "Madison College," Kagome requested of the driver as she and Souta climbed in.

"Ah, you two students there?" the man asked, a hint of a Scottish accent in his voice.

"Yes," Kagome replied demurely. "We're new."

"Well, I'm sure you'll love it there!" the man said encouragingly. "My friend's niece attends that school and he says she's really enjoying herself."

Kagome nodded politely and directed her attention outside of the window beside her. "I'm sure I'll love it too..." she said softly in a detached manner.

Souta glanced worriedly at his sister and took over the conversation for her. "We hear it's really great, mister, but that you kinda have to work harder than normal schools."

"Ay, and that's true enough, little man," the driver said with a wink. "I hear there's no slacking to be done there and that you've got to earn your keep."

"I'm sure that'll be no problem for my big sis!" Souta insisted. "She aced all of her entrance exams."

Kagome smiled faintly at Souta's declaration. "Souta! Don't go advertising me around..." she admonished him lovingly.

"Sorry, sis," Souta mumbled sheepishly. Kagome laughed softly at his reaction.

"Ah, a laugh out of the little lady!" the driver said jovially. "Don't mind my saying so, but you look a little down." The driver glanced at Kagome through his rearview mirror.

Kagome gave him a weak smile and fibbed, "Oh, it's nothing. Just a little sad having to leave my parents and friends in order to go to this new school..."

"That'll about do it," the driver agreed. "But keep your chin up! There's no better place to go than to Madison; that's sure enough. Nothing but praise floating around everywhere for that school. Your homesickness will pass soon enough, I can guarantee you."

"Thanks; I appreciate it..." Kagome replied, despondent once more.

As the driver saw he wasn't likely to get any more information out of Kagome, he once again turned his attention to Souta and the two of them chatted for the remainder of the trip.

"Ah, here we be, you two; Madison College. That'll be ten dollars and fifty cents please." As Kagome handed him the money, plus a tip, he added, "And best of luck at your new school, kids. I'm sure you'll have a great time!"

Kagome nodded and thanked him before clambering out of the cab behind Souta. They grabbed their bags out of the trunk and then waved to him as he drove off. They turned and then mounted the concrete steps up to the impressive building that awaited them. Once they'd entered the large, double doors, they followed a few signs that eventually guided them to the main office.

"Hello! May I help you?" The secretary behind the main desk had noticed Kagome and Souta's arrival and hastened to greet them.

Kagome turned towards the smiling lady. "Um, yes. I'm Kagome Higurashi and this is my younger brother, Souta. We recently registered here and were accepted...?"

Realization lit up in the secretary's eyes and she said, "Ah, yes. We've been expecting you two. Actually, the principal, Ms. Hakaru would like to have a few words with you both and then you will be free to find your new rooms and meet the other students of this school." With a smile, the lady gestured to a room that branched off of the main office. The name on the door, Kaede Hakaru, suggested it was the office of the headmistress herself.

Kagome nodded her thanks to the kind secretary before she and Souta made their way over to the awaiting door. She knocked twice and waited for a reply before opening the door and entering, Souta trailing behind.

"Ah, welcome, welcome. Please, come in, come in," an older lady waved them into her office, a smile creasing her aged face. As Kagome and Souta sat down in two chairs facing her, she added, "And you two would be...?"

"Kagome and Souta Higurashi," Kagome supplied.

"Ah, yes," the older woman acknowledged. "I've been waiting for your arrival. First, I'll give you two your timetables and your dorm room numbers, and then we have a few things to discuss." She shuffled through a few papers on her desk until she found the two she was looking for, and then handed them to the siblings across from her. "Now, remember, Kagome, if you're having any difficulty at all with your courses, since they are a grade higher than your age, don't hesitate to ask for help from either your teachers or your fellow students. I can assure you that both will be extremely accommodating. And that, of course, goes for you too, Souta; if you're having any trouble, don't hesitate to ask for help."

Kagome nodded her head and Souta thanked her.

"Well, then," the principal said, smiling. "To the matters that need discussing. First of all, always address me as Kaede, not Ms. Hakaru. I may be old, but I don't need to be reminded of it," she said, winking. "But to more serious issues. Now, I think I'll explain to you that I've been informed of your...background, Kagome, by the head woman of your orphanage."

Kagome winced.

"Although, the rest of this school is completely unaware, I assure you. Because of your terrible past, I want to make your stay here as happy and peaceful as it can be," Kaede said kindly. "I'm aware that you often have nightmares; is that right, Kagome?"

The girl nodded, a tense look on her face.

"Well, we have a rule in this school that no girls are allowed to visit the boys' dorms after eight o'clock at night and vice versa. But for you two, I'm willing to make an exception to that rule. If you find you are having a hard time, Kagome, you may visit each other's dorm rooms as long as you promise that they will be the only dorm rooms of the opposite gender you visit."

The siblings agreed readily.

"Alright then," Kaede said, smiling once more. "But I'm sure you'll be fine. Now I think that's about all I need to discuss with you two. Remember, you start classes tomorrow. And if you have any more questions, please don't hesitate to come back to me with them. I'll always be here to help you."

Kagome and Souta rose, nodding their thanks to the older lady in front of them before exiting the office.

"Well, Souta, I guess we should go find our separate dorm rooms," Kagome said reluctantly. "Tell me what yours is so I'll be able to find it later."

"Mine's on floor two, number fifty-four," Souta supplied. "And what's yours?"

"My room's on the ground floor, number twenty-six," Kagome answered. "I guess I'll see you later then."

Just as Kagome was turning away, Souta said, "And, sis, try to make some friends!"

Kagome looked back at him, almost wistfully. "I don't want any more friends, Souta...never again do I want friends..." She turned without another word and walked down the hallway and out of sight.

Souta sighed and slowly made his way to the staircase.

..:V:..

Kagome shut the door with her foot as she looked around the small room that would become her home for an undetermined time. There were two beds and a desk on each side of the room and a tiny bathroom that branched off from it, but other than that, there was not a lot of room for much else. As soon as Kagome had entered, a girl had sprung up from one of the beds and come toward her. The girl was undoubtably a few inches taller than Kagome and she had long, straight, black hair that was held together near its end by a hair elastic. Her brown eyes shone as she greeted the new arrival.

"Hi!" The girl said cheerfully, extending a hand. "My name's Sango and I guess you're going to be my new roommate."

Kagome dropped all of her bags on the ground and politely shook the girl's hand. "Hi..." she responded dully. "My name's Kagome..."

"Well, it's great to meet you, Kagome!" Sango said, smiling brightly. "Did you want me to give you a tour of the school? After all, your classes start tomorrow so you'll want to be able to find your way around, right?"

Kagome glanced at her. Sango seemed really nice and she seemed like the kind of girl Kagome could get to be friends with really quickly. But since that was opposite of what she wanted, she would have to be sure to keep her distance.

"Uh...no thanks," Kagome declined. "I mean, thanks for the offer, but I think I'll just...figure it out for myself."

Sango's happy expression dimmed a bit and she said, "Oh...well, okay. If you think that's what you'd like to do... Hey! But at least I can tell you a bit about the school..." At Kagome's barely perceptible nod, she continued, "Hmm...well, the teachers are usually fairly nice...watch out for the Ancient History teacher, though...he's kind of odd sometimes... Umm...Hiten and his buddies are the school jerks so you might want to stay away from them...everyone else is fairly nice..." Sango continued on with her commentary as Kagome started unpacking her bags.

..:V:..

Kagome groggily came out of her deep slumber at the shrill sound of an alarm clock near her head. Groping around the table next to her bed, her hand finally made contact with the offending object and silenced it with the press of a button.

The fifteen-year old slowly rose from her bed and glanced around her tiny new room. She saw that her new roommate was also starting to wake up across the room.

"Good morning," Sango yawned. "Have a nice sleep?" She winked at Kagome.

Kagome blushed from embarrassment and thought about the night before. As soon as Sango had finished with her commentary, Kagome had requested that she be allowed to go to sleep. Sango had been slightly bewildered since it was still an early hour, but had agreed without question.

"Um...yeah... I actually slept okay," Kagome replied sheepishly. "For once..." she muttered under her breath.

"Well," Sango said, smiling. "We'd better get ready for another day of school..." The girl got up from her bed and headed towards the bathroom. "Mind if I dibs the bathroom first?" she asked her new roommate. Kagome shook her head no. "Thanks!" Sango said, disappearing into the small washroom and closing the door. Soon after, the sounds of a shower running were heard.

Kagome sighed and dropped her face into her hands. It was true, she had actually spent a night in peace the previous night. But she knew that would not happen every night. And how long would it be before her new roommate discovered her terrible nightmares, her spontaneous visions and her violent reactions to each and every one of them? How long would it be before the whole school knew? Kagome could not keep up the pretense for long that she was normal just like everyone else; and once her illusion was broken through, she would have to suffer through all of those looks everyone shot her way...looks of pity...looks that she was a freak...looks that she was unwanted...looks that said the person thought they understood what she was going through...

Kagome rose suddenly from her seat on her new bed and shook the painful thoughts out of her head. This was no time to feel sorry for herself. Now, there was someone else's life at stake and she would do anything she could to save the mysterious boy. And she would start as soon as today by searching for him among all of the other many students of Madison College.

..:V:..

Kagome stumbled down the hall, cursing herself for refusing Sango's offer of a tour. She was now trying to find her homeroom classroom with the extremely useless map and her timetable clutched in her hands. Her first class was Physics and she didn't want to be late on her first day.

As she rushed through the halls, glancing at passing doorways, she caught snippets of other students' conversations.

"He's back, haven't you heard?"

"...back just this morning..."

"...woken up?!"

"Poor guy..."

"...was all _that_ true...?"

Kagome didn't know what all the kafuffle was about, but she decided to ignore it in favour of continuing her search for her lost Physics class. She noticed that the hallways were started to empty out as all of the wandering students went off to attend their first classes. Soon Kagome was all alone except for a group of boys and girls coming towards her down the hall.

"Um, hello!" she called out to them tentatively. "I was wondering if you could help me find my first class...?" She trailed off as the seemingly leader of the group noticed her and started coming directly towards her.

"Oh, a new student are you?" the boy said, the smile on his face not quite reaching his eyes.

"Uhhh...yes..." Kagome said, regarding the boy uncertainly. Her eyes were drawn to the long dark braid that flowed down his back. The boy she was looking for had long dark hair! But, wait...this boy had startlingly red eyes, whereas the eyes of the boy in her visions were dark. This boy couldn't be the one she was looking for. This boy also looked to be a demon, not human.

"Well...let me just have a look at your timetable...!" With one swift movement, the boy grabbed the sheet of paper from her and held it high above her as he regarded it thoughtfully.

"Hey! Wait a minute!" Kagome said angrily as she reached for her stolen paper. The boy however, with his superior height, held it just out of her reach.

"Aw, come on," the boy with the braid said mockingly. "I'm just trying to help!" He flicked his hand down on the binders Kagome was carrying before she could react and they all went tumbling to the ground. The small group behind him laughed.

"Way to go, Hiten!"

"Give her a proper welcoming to our school!"

"Ugh!" Kagome said, flashing the group a disgusted look. "Jerks!"

"Ah, ah, ah!" the boy known as Hiten tsked her. "That's not very nice!" He gave her a small shove that sent her tumbling amongst her fallen supplies. His buddies chuckled.

Kagome fumed. "Leave me alone, you jerks!"

Hiten bent over slightly to look her in the eye. "And what if we don't?"

"Then you'll have ME to mess with!" a new masculine voice called out harshly. The whole group turned to look at the new arrival.

A boy was leaning on the doorframe of one of the doors leading outside of the school, his arms crossed. His long silver hair blew in the breeze that was coming through the door he kept propped open and his fierce golden eyes flashed as they glared at the offending boy looming over the indignant girl. Kagome could just make out two small triangles perched behind the new boy's unruly bangs and came to the startling realization that they were his ears. The boy must also be some sort of demon.

Kagome looked up to see that the boy known as Hiten wore a thoroughly startled expression on his face; almost one of fear.

"Y-_you_... Y-you're _back_...?!" Hiten demanded with a slightly apprehensive note in his voice.

The silver-haired demon smirked, although Kagome could tell the boy was little amused. "I sure am, Hiten. And what are you going to do about it? Harass a poor little new _human_ student? Heh, I guess it's because humans are the only kind of people weak enough to be beat up by the likes of you."

Hiten growled before flinging Kagome's timetable down at her. "I could beat up an insignificant half-breed like you any day," the boy spat. "But since you just got out of the hospital, I'll let you have a little freedom before I put you back in it!" he sneered. Then, Hiten nodded to the small group behind him. "Come on, guys. Let's get to class."

Golden eyes watched them saunter off down the hall and out of sight, an indiscernible look to them.

"Hey..."

At the sound of Kagome's voice, the boy seemed to come out of a reverie and looked down at the girl who was picking herself off the ground and coming towards him. "What?" the boy asked rudely.

"I was just going to say thanks for getting rid of those losers..." Kagome said tentatively while eyeing the boy closely. There was something familiar about him, but she couldn't seem to put her finger on it.

"Keh," the boy said. "Don't think I'll fight all your battles for you," he added contemptuously.

Kagome raised an eyebrow. "I wasn't planning on it... Hey, what's your name, anyway?"

"Inuyasha," the boy said sharply as he turned away and started to walk away.

"Oh..." Kagome said softly. Then her head snapped up and she raced after her new acquaintance. "Hey, Inuyasha!"

The boy stopped abruptly and looked at the girl running up to him darkly. "What?!" he snapped.

Kagome gave him a somewhat helpless look. "Could you help me find my class...?"

..:V:..

A/N Voila! Hope you enjoyed the third chapter! :) And Kagome's met Inuyasha!

Oh, but wait! What's this? He has silver hair, golden eyes and dog ears! He's not the boy in her vision! ...Or is he? ;) Guess you'll just have to stay tuned! Ciao for now!


	4. Dealing with the Pain

Disclaimer: I could sit here all day saying how I owned Inuyasha and none of you would ever believe me, so I think I'll just save my breath...

A/N Okay, folks! I know some of you are quite impatient about the long delays between chapters, and I'm sorry that I didn't give you the same warning I gave in my King of the Hill fic. I was gone for ten days on a trip to Newfoundland. I had absolutely NO computer, much less internet. And even if I had, my ability to update was suspended by when they deleted my The Truth About Fluffy fic for it being in the form of a list. So (sigh) I would have been euchred anyway.

And let me also inform you that ever since I got back last week, I have been working on this chapter. I wrote about half of it, decided I didn't like it in the least, and so rewrote it all. Then I reworked parts, added to it, subtracted from it, the works. I've worked hard on this chapter and I'm sorry about the wait, so to make up for it, here's the chapter!

* * *

Inuyasha glared at the girl before swiping her timetable and looking at her classes. Then he made an exasperated noise as he saw what her first class was. "Ugh...you can't be serious!"

"What?" Kagome asked. "What is it?"

"Nothing," Inuyasha muttered. "It's just that you have the same class as me."

Kagome cocked an eyebrow. "And that's a bad thing...?"

Inuyasha gave her a look that clearly told her he thought she was dense.

"Okay, whatever," Kagome said. "You keep your opinions to yourself. Yeesh, it's not like we even have to sit together or anything."

"Yeah, yeah," the silver-haired boy said. "Come on, newbie; let's see if I still remember my way around..." Inuyasha started off down the hall at a brisk pace and Kagome almost had to jog to keep up with him.

Questions sprung to Kagome's mind at the boy's last statement, but seeing the scowl on his face, she wisely chose to bite her tongue and follow him quietly. After a few minutes of her resolution, however, the silence was becoming too much for her and she felt the need to say something, _anything_. Inuyasha was just casually strolling down the halls, occasionally glancing down a corridor here and there, and given the size of the school, Kagome felt they must not even be _near_ their classroom. Finally, the atmosphere became too awkward for her and she spoke up.

"So...you from around here, or are you a boarder...?" Kagome asked hesitantly.

"Keh...boarder," Inuyasha replied shortly.

"Mmm...me too..."

Inuyasha let out a sharp bark of a laugh. "Your parents sent _you_ off to boarding school? You can hardly tie your own shoes!"

Kagome flinched at the reminder of her parents and didn't offer a retort.

After a few moments of silence, Inuyasha turned his head enough to look back at her. Her head was bowed over her books and her walk had slowed somewhat. Inuyasha raised an eyebrow at her reaction but didn't say anything as he continued his search for their classroom.

Kagome didn't say anything for the remainder of the trip and once or twice, Inuyasha even had to go back for her when he turned a corner and she didn't notice; she was too busy gazing dully at the floor.

Finally, Inuyasha found their out of the way Physics classroom and when he stopped in front of it, Kagome bumped into him from behind. Inuyasha spun around, "Jeez, _girl_, I don't know what your problem is, but pay attention a little, would ya?! You're a complete space case!" As Kagome sputtered, he continued darkly, "Come on, newbie; this is our class." He turned toward the door beside him and entered, Kagome a step behind.

When they got inside, they found they were facing a full classroom and the teacher was just turning towards them.

"Oh, hello. You must be Kagome Higurashi, our new student, and Inuyasha Reijiro, our...somewhat new student," the female teacher greeted them with an awkward smile. When Kagome and Inuyasha nodded, she continued, "Excellent. Now, usually we have a policy for being late to class, but I think I can let you off the hook this one time. If you'll take the two remaining seats at the back of the class, we may begin."

As the teacher turned back to her notes in front of her, Inuyasha and Kagome made their way to the back of the classroom. When they got there, they realized that the two empty seats the teacher was referring to were directly beside each other.

Inuyasha glared at Kagome. "I thought you said we didn't have to sit beside each other," he said as if it were all her fault.

"Well...well..." Kagome said at a loss for words. "It could be worse, you know!"

As they sat down and prepared themselves for the class, the teacher called out to the students, "Oh, and I hope you make fast friends with the person sitting beside you as they will be your lab partner for the duration of the semester."

Kagome and Inuyasha glared at one another. "'It could be worse, you know!'" Inuyasha said, doing an imitation of her voice. "Way to jinx us and everything."

"My god!" Kagome said, slamming her hands down on her desk and glaring at him. "If you hate me _sooo_ much, why the heck did you even help me when Hiten was harassing me?!"

Inuyasha looked at her blankly. "'Cause I hate Hiten more and it seemed like a good opportunity to annoy him," he said simply. "Although now I'm wondering if it was worth it..."

"Hmph! And I'm wondering if I was wrong about Hiten being a bigger jerk than you!" Kagome retorted.

"Wow, that really cuts deep," Inuyasha said with heavy sarcasm in his voice.

"Inuyasha! Kagome!" the teacher cut across their bickering. "Please quiet down and pay attention to class! I know you came in late, but that's no excuse for you disrupting the class!"

"Yes, ma'am," Kagome said meekly while attempting to ignore the boy beside her.

"Keh!" Inuyasha scoffed as he slumped back in his chair.

The teacher began her lesson which Kagome actually found to be quite interesting despite all the negative things she had heard about the course previously. She was soon absorbed in what the teacher was explaining and completely forgot about the rude and arrogant boy beside her until the lesson was over and homework was assigned. Kagome quickly solved all of the problems they were required to do and found that she had about ten minutes left before the end of class...with nothing to do.

After scanning the class to make sure the dark-haired boy she was searching for wasn't present, Kagome crossed her arms on her desk and laid her head down on them. The way her head was angled gave her a direct view of the annoying boy beside her and looking at him for a few moments made her come to the conclusion that no matter how much his attitude stank, he really wasn't too bad to look at. His hair was like a silver cascade that flowed down his back and looked like it would be super soft and silky to the touch. His two furry white ears emerged from his tresses at the top of his cranium and would twitch periodically at different sounds coming from all corners of the classroom. His fierce golden eyes were narrowed in concentration and his dark brows were furrowed as he gazed down at his work before him. His strong jaw was set and a pearly white fang poked out of his mouth from where he was gnawing on his bottom lip.

Tearing her eyes off of his finely chiselled features, Kagome shifted her gaze down to his hands. One of them was clutching his pencil and by the look of it, he was trying desperately to control his demon strength and not snap it in two. His other hand lay flat down on top of his worksheet in order to keep it steady as he worked. Kagome looked curiously at his nails, which gave off the appearance more of claws. They came out from his cuticles quite some distance and came diagonally inwards to form blunt tips at the end. Kagome shuddered as she thought that though the tips were blunt, Inuyasha could probably muster enough strength to get them to puncture anything.

"Will you quit staring at me?" Inuyasha asked, annoyed, without turning his focus from his work.

Kagome blushed out of embarrassment and sat up, spluttering, "I...I wasn't staring at you...!"

Inuyasha turned to look at her and raised an eyebrow. "I saw you out of the corner of my eye. Were you planning on opening that trap of yours and saying something or were just going to stare at me in awe for the rest of the period?"

"I do not have a 'trap'!" Kagome protested, crossing her arms. "And I was not staring at you in awe! I was bored so I laid my head down; you just so happened to be in my line of sight. Hmph, it's not like you're much to look at, anyway!" she lied. She continued muttering angrily under her breath.

Inuyasha's ears twitched as he tried to make out what the enraged girl was saying. , arrogant retard...?" Inuyasha queried.

Kagome flushed that she had been caught but gave the half-demon a level stare. "What? I'm not taking it back. I'm not going to apologize to some spoiled boy who has everything he could possibly want and so has no respect for oth–"

"Shut up!" Inuyasha snarled harshly. "Just shut up! You know nothing about me!"

Kagome was taken aback. She looked at Inuyasha in surprise and was startled to note that he absolutely furious. She was unsure of what to say in the face of such a reaction and was saved by the shrill ringing of the school bell. Inuyasha snatched up his sheet with a growl and stormed out of the class as Kagome just sat there in shock.

When she realized the rest of the class was rapidly filing out, Kagome hastily snatched up her books and exited the classroom just after the last student. Her next period was Biology and with the help from one of her Physics classmates, Kagome found her classroom easily enough. The class passed by fairly quickly while the teacher determined with the students how something could be classified as alive. Kagome was quick to rush out of the class at the end of it and followed the stream of students to the school cafeteria for her lunch period.

Coming out of the cafeteria line with a tray of food, Kagome spotted Sango sitting at a table surrounding by a few friends. Her roommate was quick to notice her and motioned that she should come sit with her. Kagome gave a polite decline of the head while making her way towards a deserted table in the corner. She ignored the questioning look Sango sent in her direction.

After about fifteen minutes of poking dully at her food and brooding about Inuyasha's violent response to her an hour ago, Kagome's solitude was interrupted when she heard laughing voices approach her table.

When she glanced up, she saw a handsome boy with black hair pulled to the back of his head. His violet eyes danced as he chatted amiably to two giggling girls that walked on either side of him. He was fairly tall and looked like he worked out quite often. Kagome eyed him warily as he approached her table and then told the girls that he'd meet them at their table later. Once they had left, the boy plunked himself down across from Kagome and smiled brightly at her.

"Hi!" he greeted, extending a hand. "My name's Miroku."

"That's nice," Kagome responded unemotionally, struggling to suppress her urge to be friendly as she went back to poking her food.

Miroku gave her a puzzled look when she didn't accept his hand or offer a more substantial reply, but he quickly recovered. "So...what's your name?"

Kagome looked back up at the boy. "Kagome..." she said slowly.

"Ah, well, Kagome...do you know that you've got some of the prettiest eyes I've ever seen?" the boy asked with a smile that seemed entirely too earnest.

"They're brown," Kagome said flatly.

"Ah, but they're a very pretty brown," Miroku said quickly. "In fact, I'd say that–"

"Kagome?"

Kagome spun around in her seat to see that Sango was standing behind her giving her an confused look. "Are you okay, Kagome? I mean, why did you want to seat here all alone instead of–"

"My, my!" Miroku exclaimed, shooting up from the table. "May I know the name of the beautiful girl which stands before me?"

Sango gave the boy an odd look before ignoring him and turning back to Kagome.

"Uhhh...listen, Sango..." Kagome began awkwardly. "I just..."

"Sango? Is that your name, angel?" Miroku said as he walked around the table to Sango's side.

"No, it's Fred," Sango said sarcastically.

"Hmm..." Miroku gave a mock sigh. "Well then, Fred, it's a pleasure to meet you." He held out a hand.

Sango grinned slightly at his humour. "Likewise...I guess..." She reached out her own hand and shook the friendly boy's. A split second later, she felt a strange rubbing sensation on her behind and she looked down in surprise to see that Miroku's other hand was occupied with caressing it. "You pervert!" she shrieked as she jumped back and slapped him full across the face.

"It was an accident! It slipped!" Miroku protested earnestly.

"His name's Miroku and I have no idea why he's here," Kagome piped up while shifting slightly so her bum wasn't within range of the newfound pervert in their midst.

"Well, I can answer that for you," Miroku said cheerfully while rubbing his cheek as if nothing had happened. "I saw poor Kagome sitting here all by herself and I thought it my duty to supply her with my company."

"How thoughtful of you," Sango said darkly while eyeing the boy's hands. "But it's quite unnecessary, I assure you. Kagome was just about to come sit with my friends and I."

"Hmm...but now what are we going to do?" Miroku asked if there were a serious matter at hand to discuss. "I simply _must_ stay with Kagome to keep her company. I feel must join you."

Sango glared. "I know exactly what will happen," she snapped. "Kagome will come and sit with _me_ while_ you_ go back to wherever you were before you decided Kagome needed to be 'blessed' with your presence."

"But _I _was thinking–"

"Actually, guys," Kagome interrupted. "I think I'd rather just sit right here. You two can both go back to your respective friends."

"Oh, no!" Sango said, dismayed. "I can't let you sit here all alone! I'll stay here with you!"

"I feel it is my duty and right to remain as well," Miroku quickly said, smiling innocently at the girls.

"I don't even have a choice, do I...?" Kagome muttered to herself.

The rest of the lunch period was spent while Sango and Miroku chatted from either side of her, occasionally attempting to include her in the conversation. Kagome would reply with as little words as possible, hoping they would catch on that she didn't feel like talking. She learned from their conversation that they were both in grade twelve, which made them two years older than her, seventeen, and that they both earned respectable grades. Miroku was interested in spectacular phenomenons and researched all things spiritual in his spare time, and Sango focused on martial arts and styles of fighting. Everything went quite well, other than when Miroku dared to grope Kagome's behind halfway through the period, which both Sango and Kagome were quick to slap him for.

At the end of the period, though Kagome kept silent, she could tell that Miroku had taken quite a liking to her new roommate, and that Sango didn't seem to mind chatting with him as long as he kept his hands to himself. Kagome hid her ghost of a smile as she picked up her tray and dropped it off before exiting the cafeteria, leaving her two acquaintances to watch her go with identical puzzled expressions on their faces.

Kagome's next period was what was called a Multi–Studies Purpose class, or MSP; it was simply a full hour period where she was assigned to a certain classroom and teacher and she was allowed to work on homework for any course during it.

She was dismayed to note upon her entering her classroom, Inuyasha was once again in her class, and the only seats left available were annoyingly close to him. She decided to set herself up at an unoccupied table diagonally in front of the boy, seeing as it was the furthest from him she could get.

Kagome quickly finished up her Biology homework in fifteen minutes, but had forty-five minutes left of class. She began pointlessly doodling when a small paper ball hit the back of her head. She spun around and glared at Inuyasha, who was about to flick another ball of paper at her head in his sheer boredom. He seemed to be over whatever she had evoked earlier that morning and was now intent on bothering and annoying her once more. Kagome was determined to ignore him, however, and resolutely turned back around. For the remainder of the period, she doodled and drew, ignoring the paper balls that constantly smacked her in the back of her head while also reminding herself not to attempt to snooze, lest what happened at her other school during her math class repeat itself.

Kagome was grateful to leave her MSP when the bell rung and with the help of another student, quickly found her way to her Math class. Her Math teacher was fairly nice, but only slightly more interesting than her old one. Kagome paid attention, though, since this was a grade higher and she couldn't afford to miss anything since it was harder to understand. The class breezed by quickly enough, however, and Kagome was soon on her way to her sixth and final period; English.

When she entered, she immediately made her way over to a pair of unoccupied desks off in the back corner. She sat down in one of them and prepared her binder for class as the other students filed in and chose seats of their own. Just as the bell rang, signifying the beginning of class, Inuyasha strode in and over to another pair of unoccupied desks on the other side of the classroom. Kagome groaned, but was thankful he hadn't noticed her. That was soon remedied, however, when the teacher began the attendance call. Inuyasha glanced over at her when her name was called, but soon turned his attention back to the teacher as she continued down the list of students.

Once the teacher had finished the attendance, she handed it off to a random student to be taken down to the main office. Then she spoke up, "Alright, class. As you know, we studied short pieces of text from your Sightlines books for the past two weeks. Now that we've finished that unit, we will now move on to poetry." There was a collective groan from the class. "Now, now; settle down," the teacher reprimanded. "Poetry's not all that bad. Now, just to start off the unit, and to help yourselves remember what you learned of poetry in grade ten, I would like to give you this assignment: you will write a poem about yourself to the person sitting beside you."

Kagome glanced uncertainly at the empty seat beside her.

"Oh, and since neither of you have partners, Kagome and Inuyasha," the teacher added, "Inuyasha, you may go and take the empty seat beside Kagome. Then you'll be able to share your poems."

Kagome slowly curled herself found until her head thudded upon the desk. "Why...me...?" she muttered between thuds.

Inuyasha growled with a, "Keh!" but made his way over to the distraught girl. He plopped down in the seat next to her, but didn't speak to her. Instead, he pulled out a piece of lined paper and began to work on his poem.

Kagome decided to follow his example and took out her own piece of paper before staring blankly down at it. _I never took grade ten English poetry_, she panicked. _I don't know the particulars of making a stupid poem! Okay...think. Poems rhyme, right? Well, not all of them, but I like them better when they do. And they...express emotions..._ Kagome bit her lip. _I'll just try it...a poem about myself...oh, boy..._

Kagome worked for a good fifteen minutes or so, making sure her poem rhymed and expressed herself. She forgot all about sharing it with Inuyasha while she wrote it and mostly just wrote it for herself. When the teacher announced that time was up and they had to trade their poems off, she glanced at Inuyasha and panicked.

"Um...I think I'll just...keep my poem..." she muttered lowly to him.

Inuyasha quirked an eyebrow and held out his poem, "Just give me your stupid poem already. It's not like I care about anything about you, anyways."

"Then you wouldn't care to read my poem, would you?" Kagome asked in a rush. "I'll just put it away then!"

As she made a move to stuff her piece of paper back in her binder, Inuyasha hand shot out as quick as lightening and snatched it from her grasp.

"Hey!" she protested as he brought it back towards himself and dropped his own poem into her outstretched hands. She grumbled a bit before starting to read his:

_I could explain my physical appearance,_

_But that's not who I am._

_I could explain who I was five years ago,_

_But now...that's not who I am._

_There's no way to describe me, I won't even try,_

_My life's already ended, and I can't remember why._

_I won't say a thing, if you ask, I'll say no,_

_About the tragic incident five years ago..._

Kagome looked up from the sheet in astonishment. Maybe there was a better reason for Inuyasha to be the jerk that he was than the one she'd presumed. This poem really didn't explain much to her, but it gave her reason enough to pause and think. There was more to Inuyasha than she had originally thought, and now this poem had piqued her curiosity. She was dying to ask him about it, but the poem clearly stated he wouldn't explain anything.

Though, she did raise an eyebrow at the length of his poem. "Is this it?" she asked Inuyasha. "It's kinda short, you know, and it doesn't tell me a bunch about you..."

Inuyasha gave her a brief, dark look. "Keh. It's not supposed to, loser. Feel lucky I wrote that much down."

Kagome gave him a quizzical glance before turning her eyes back to his poem and rereading it.

Meanwhile, Inuyasha was busy reading Kagome's poem:

_Many think they know me, think they understand,_

_Even try to help me, and try to lend a hand._

_These people can't understand, they can't know me,_

_They have no idea; they can't see what I see._

_I'm a girl of many secrets, and a terrible past,_

_If I imparted either to you, you'd call me crazy fast._

_I've seen things no one should, I'm convinced it is a curse,_

_A curse that's plagued me all my life, and is getting worse._

_There's no one that can help me, my brother only tries,_

_I keep away all friends, what if another one...dies?_

_I've said too much, but perhaps not enough, about the real me,_

_There's more to tell, but it won't make sense, until you see what I see._

Inuyasha looked up from the poem in confusion and looked at the girl beside him. "See what you see?"

Kagome reached over and took back her poem, returning Inuyasha's in the process. "Just forget you read it," she said, somewhat subdued. "I made it all up."

Inuyasha looked at her a moment longer before shrugging and looking back at his own poem. After glaring at his own words for a few moments, he crumpled the paper in one fist and tossed it in the recycling behind him. For the remaining time of class, neither Inuyasha nor Kagome spoke as they only half paid attention to the teacher and her words.

When the bell rang to signify the end of the school day, Inuyasha quickly grab his materials and shuffled out with the other students. Kagome about to follow when her eyes landed on the crumpled piece of paper in the recycling bin. Checking to make sure no one was looking, Kagome hastily scooped up the paper and shoved it in her binder with her own poem. She didn't know why she was taking Inuyasha's poem, but something about it made her curious...

..:V:..

Kagome's days continued on in much the same manner; she and Inuyasha would bicker and annoy one another in every class they had together, but neither made the mistake of coming close to revealing anything personal about themselves again. The pure hatred and venom in their first arguments decreased slowly, but their animosity for one another was all but forgotten. Inuyasha hated Kagome for being Kagome, and Kagome hated Inuyasha for being Inuyasha, though neither one truly deserved the tongue lashing the other one would spontaneously deal out every now and then.

At every breakfast, lunch, and dinner time, Sango and Miroku would insist on sitting with her, though she barely ever participated in the conversations. She became slightly nervous, however, since through their discussions together, she was beginning to know each of them personally; something she wanted desperately to avoid. Though, every time she tried to escape from them, or hide at another table, they always found her and sat with her. She couldn't bear being mean to them or think of being rude because she saw that they each had the makings of being great friends. She resolved to simply endure their company and only offer the barest of speech when required. If they asked anything about her personal life, however, she would clam right up.

Sango insisted that Miroku sit on the other side of the table each day while she and Kagome sat next to each other across from him since his hands had a large tendency to wander to the girls' rears. Whenever his hands did reach their mark, which was usually Sango's behind more than Kagome's, his face would quickly turn red from the strength of the affronted girl's slaps. He was endurable when he wasn't being perverted, the girls found, and so they hesitantly let him stick around.

Though Kagome's eyes were constantly analysing each boy she came across either in the halls or in her classes, she couldn't seem to find the boy she was searching for, which both puzzled and slightly worried her. She needed to find him before the vision came true or she would have failed!

Each day after school, Kagome would go up to the second floor and visit her brother. They would explain each of their days to each other and just generally talked about what came into their heads. Souta's roommate happened to be a young fox demon by the name of Shippo, and the siblings were always careful to avoid the subject of Kagome's problems when he was present.

Kagome's nights were fairly peaceful, with only the occasional interruption of the horrible vision of the boy. On those nights, she would wake up in a cold sweat and be shivering uncontrollably. She would use every effort possible to calm her ragged breathing in order not to wake her roommate. Then she would usually attempt to go back to sleep; sometimes, though, she would stay up for the rest of the night, thinking of the grotesque scene in her visions. Occasionally, it would be too much for her and she would silently sneak off to visit Souta, also careful not to wake Shippo.

One night, however, three weeks after her arrival, a familiar nightmare came back to haunt her with force. She had gone to bed early after dinner and finishing her homework, fending off Sango's friendly advances as usual. She was in the midst of a normal and peaceful dream, when suddenly the scenery of a forest shifted into that of a dark alleyway. Cruel laughter reached her ears and remembered dialogue came to her mind.

"_Come on, punks; hand over your money...or else!" _The flash of silver, the promise of pain.

"_Let us by! We only have a few dollars!"_

"_Don't lie to us, punk. Hand over your cash!"_ The corner of the two buildings, the no chance of escaping.

"_Kagome, get behind me!"_

"_This is your last warning! Give us your money and we won't hurt you...much..." _More raucous laughter, panic rising in her throat.

"_There! That's all we have on us! Let us go!"_ The tinkling sound of a few coins hitting the hard concrete.

"_Liars! Get them! Take all they own!" _The cruel grin, the savage gleam in the leader's eye. _"Corpses can't defend themselves. And they also can't tattle to the cops!"_ The thugs coming towards them, the feel of the fabric clutched in her fists.

"_Kagome, don't move! Stay behind me! I'll protect you!"_

"_No! Wait! This can't be...this is... Hojo, no!" _The brave boy in front of her, the screams he let out as the knives pierced his flesh. _"HOJO!!"_ Her own shrill scream at the horror of what was happening, the fabric between her fingers beginning to grow moist and stain red.

"_Stupid boy...shoulda just given us what we wanted..." _The gasps of pain from her best friend in her arms, the thickness of the blood she was kneeling in.

"_Maybe the girl will be more cooperative..."_ The sirens wailing in the distance, the thugs suddenly stopping their advance towards her.

"_We've got to move! The police are here! Someone must have heard the screaming... You little bitch!" _The murderers running, the police arriving outside of the alleyway in time to capture them.

It didn't matter...the damage was done. Her friend grew limp in her arms as the pain tightened in her chest. She looked down at his bloody body as tears poured down her cheeks, knowing already what he would look like. It was the same.

It was the same as what she'd seen in her vision.

..:V:..

Kagome woke with a start, barely repressing a scream. Sobs racked her body as her hands shook uncontrollably. She attempted to calm herself, to push out and forget her horrible memory, but to no avail. She knew if she continued to cry so loudly, Sango was sure to wake up. She couldn't let her roommate see her like this. And she couldn't bear to try and cope with the reminder of her old friend alone. She needed Souta.

Kagome clumsily untangled herself from her sheets and slipped out of bed. Not bothering to change her pajamas or make herself a bit more presentable, she fumbled with the doorknob of the door leading out into the hall before finally succeeding in opening it. She stumbled down the corridor and to the stairs leading up to the other floors. She ran up them quickly and almost fell twice. Emerging in the second floor hallway, she ran down it, almost blinded by her tears.

She reached the approximate area that her brother's room was in, but couldn't read the numbers on the doors clearly due to her tears and distress. She knocked on the door of the room she believed to be her brother's and waited for a few moments for him to get up and let her in. Souta had gotten used to her soft knocking on his door in the middle of the night over the years and was by now a very light sleeper.

Kagome was caught up her pain of remembering and so did not notice the fumbling sounds coming from inside the room and the cursing that followed. Only when the door in front of her was opened to reveal a grouchy half dog demon did she notice she had gotten the wrong door. She froze, not knowing what to do.

Inuyasha yawned and glanced at the person who had interrupted his slumber before doing a double take and grumbling, "What the hell are _you_ doing her–wait a minute..." Inuyasha peered closer at the girl in front of him through bleary eyes. Her face was tear streaked and she appeared in a state of near panic. "What the hell's the matter with you? Are you c-crying?!"

Kagome just stared in shock at the boy who was beginning to get nervous at the sight of her tears. Of all the wrong doors to choose, she just _had_ to pick _him_. What would she tell him? How could she escape?!

"W–what're you crying for...?" Inuyasha asked nervously when Kagome didn't say anything.

"Kagome?"

Inuyasha and Kagome both spun at the sound of the small boy's voice. Souta was poking his head out from the room beside Inuyasha's and looking meaningfully at Kagome.

"S–Souta..." Kagome said gratefully as she took an unsteady step towards him. The sight of her little brother made her completely forget about the silver-haired boy she had just accidentally woken up.

"Did...did..._it_ happen again...?" Souta asked hesitantly while giving Inuyasha a cautious glance.

"Yes..." Kagome admitted, tears once more filling her eyes. "It was Hojo again..."

Souta took hold of his sister's arm and guided her slowly into his proper room, leaving behind a very baffled Inuyasha in the hallway.

"What the heck was up with that girl...?" Inuyasha muttered to himself. He stared bewildered at the place Kagome had been for a moment before walking slowly back into his own room and shutting the door with a click.

* * *

A/N And there's the finished product! Wow...10 pages. I've only written this many pages for a chapter once before... I hope that makes up for the long delay, guys. Once again, I'm really sorry. I hope you can manage to be fairly patient with me though, because I'm going to continue to be very busy. Ugh...school starts on Tuesday. Grade twelve...joy...

Oh, and I hope you liked my description of Inuyasha near the beginning of the chapter, lol. I had way too much fun with it; I was laughing almost the whole time I was writing it. So if it sounds cheesy, corny and like it's a parody, well...I couldn't help it! Also, sorry to any poetry people out there if there are problems with the poems I wrote and if I ignored some rules, didn't have the proper amount of syllables in a line, etc. Kagome doesn't really know anything about the rules of poetry since she never had a lesson on it and Inuyasha...well...he never really did either.

And you may think that Sango and Miroku are being pushy by forcing Kagome to endure their company, but they're just trying to be friendly because they can tell that something's not quite right with her and they want to help out.

Heh, heh, also...see if you can find out how many times someone raised an eyebrow or gave Kagome a look of questioning, puzzlement, confusion, etc. lol. Everybody sure is confused in this story. Bet you all are too.

Anyways, hope you guys enjoyed this chapter and I'll talk to you later!


	5. Never Friends

Disclaimer: You're telling me I don't own Inuyasha? Wow, fancy that... I would have _never_ have guessed...

A/N Alrighty! Thanks for all your wonderful reviews from last chapter; I really appreciated them. Sorry if the poems sounded slightly corny; I needed them to be there though. Kagome and Inuyasha have to wonder about each other and what better way for it to happen than evil teachers giving you a stupid assignment?

Anyways, I'll also warn you all that though there is the pairing of Miroku/Sango, the main pairing will be Inuyasha/Kagome. I'll focus more on that couple throughout it and Miroku and Sango will play a lesser role. Although they will be in it a goodly amount, and they will hook up eventually; be assured of that.

Okay, on with the glorious fifth chapter! By this time, I'm just flying by the seat of my pants with a general outline in mind... Don't be afraid to tell me if I'm rushing something or anything; I really want to make this fic the best it can be. Okay? Okay! Let's do this thing!

* * *

There was something disturbing in the way Inuyasha had been looking at her the morning after she had accidently knocked on his door with tears streaming down her cheeks. It was curious, and calculating. Kagome felt squeamish and uncomfortable under that gaze as it felt that he was trying to pry into her mind and extract secrets no one else had been perceptive enough to realize she had. She felt exposed when she could feel his eyes trained on her, watching her every move for signs of the distress she exhibited the night before.

At the moment, they were in their Physics class and the lesson had just finished. They had nearly three quarters of an hour to work on the homework assigned, but Kagome was feeling far from up to doing it. Instead, she crossed her arms on her desk and buried her face in them, letting her memories of the previous night come to her.

After leaving Inuyasha shocked and confused in the hallway, she and Souta had entered his dorm room. She had proceeded to cry her heart out and recount to Souta her horrible nightmare; one he had heard about countless times before. He had tried to comfort her as best he could, and tried to help her get over her terrible memory of her friend, but only after Shippo had woken up did Kagome's tears subside. Souta's roommate looked thoroughly disturbed at the sight of the older girl in tears and being comforted by her much younger brother across the room.

When the young fox demon hesitantly inquired after the situation, Souta tried to explain that it was nothing serious and that Shippo should ignore it, but the other boy didn't look as if he believed him. Shippo stayed awake for the remainder of the night, watching Kagome with wide eyes and a slight look of fear. Once the older girl had regained her composure, just before dawn, she self-consciously exited the room and slowly made her way back to her own dorm, not looking back at her brother or his frightened roommate.

Kagome had then decided to take a shower to cleanse herself of the memories and to refresh herself after shedding so many tears. When Sango had woken up, Kagome had felt secure enough about herself to continue on with the day as if nothing had happened. She was resolved not to talk to Inuyasha and to avoid him completely if at all possible.

But now here she was, sitting in class right beside Inuyasha, with his eyes boring into the back of her head. There was light noise as the other students chatted around and in front of them, but to Kagome, it felt as if there was nothing but intense and awkward silence.

"Hey..." Inuyasha's voice spoke up from beside her.

Kagome didn't answer, hoping by some fluke he was talking to someone else.

A blunt claw poked her shoulder and the voice repeated, "Hey..."

Kagome turned her head to the side and glared at Inuyasha. "What?"

Inuyasha seemed to be struggling to find the right words to express what he wanted to say. "What was... I mean, you were..."

"Did you have something to say?" Kagome asked as cooly as possible.

Inuyasha raised an eyebrow. "I would think you would know..."

"Oh?" Kagome asked, feigning obliviousness. "What would I know you wanted to say to me?"

Inuyasha made an irritated noise in his throat as she danced around the subject. "Quit acting like you don't know what I'm talking about. What the hell was that last night?" he hissed, leaning closer to her so the other students wouldn't overhear.

"What was what?" Kagome asked nervously, hoping to distract him long enough for her to think up an excuse.

Inuyasha gave her a flat stare. "Would the words 'bawling your eyes out at my door last night' mean anything to you?"

"It was nothing," Kagome muttered, burying her head once more in her arms.

"Excuse me?" Inuyasha said incredulously. "Last I checked, emptying your tear ducts at other people's doors wasn't a nightly ritual."

"Well...then you're behind the times!" Kagome blurted out frantically, lifting her head. "Um...I mean...that is... Can we just drop it already?"

Inuyasha kept his gaze trained on her, not taking his eyes off of her nervously flicking ones. "Why don't you just tell me what was freakin' going on last night? I mean, you're not even supposed to be in the boys' dorm room area anyways...so why were you there sobbing up a storm?"

Kagome's brown eyes snapped directly to Inuyasha's golden ones. "Look, I don't want to talk about it, okay?! Anyways, why would you even care?! I don't recall you ever taking an interest in any of my affairs, and I certainly don't want you to develop one now!" With that, Kagome hid her face once again from view.

Inuyasha was about to badger the stubborn girl a bit longer, but wisely chose to restrain himself a the last moment. He withdrew his extended finger, which was an inch from poking Kagome's shoulder again, and instead crossed his arms sullenly over his chest as he regarded the strange girl.

He had to admit, her behaviour stumped him. One minute she was cool and composed, and the next, she was crying her eyes out at his dorm room door. Now, this morning, she was back to being indifferent and composed again...what was up with her?

As much as he refused to admit it, her poem had piqued his interest and some nagging feeling told him that she did not, in fact, make it all up. _Some _of it had to be based in truth, at least...if not all of it. So what was her secret? Her poem indicated that she'd witnessed a friends' death or something...would that alone twist her into this state?

He didn't think so. Seeing a friends' death was tragic, and it was sure to haunt a person for quite some time, but it would stand to reason that someone in that situation would surround themselves with friends in order to comfort themselves and seek solace in knowing they weren't alone. Kagome didn't act this way. From what he'd seen of her the past three weeks, she didn't attempt to talk to anyone but him, unless she needed the answer to a polite and indifferent question. And the only time she talked to him was to either fight or argue...

He smirked. He was up for a fight. And if that was the only way to get her to talk to him...

"You know...you look pretty stupid sitting there with your head stuffed in your arms," Inuyasha began. "You trying to make sure you don't catch a stray glance at yourself in a mirror or something?"

Kagome's head shot up, her eyes flashing. "No one asked you what I look like! And why would I care if I saw myself in the mirror?!"

"...'Cause you're so ugly?" Inuyasha asked, smirking.

"Urgh! Why don't you leave me alone and pick on someone else?!" Kagome fumed.

"Because you're too easy a target, that's why," Inuyasha informed her. "You're set off by everything!"

"Well, excuse me for being offended by insults!" Kagome shot back. "What am I supposed to do; just sit here and take them while smiling and nodding?!"

"That would be interesting..." Inuyasha said, stroking his chin thoughtfully.

"Hmph!" Kagome exclaimed, turning back to her work. "I won't give you the pleasure!" With that, she started furiously on her Physics work, seeming completely back to her normal self.

Inuyasha hid a grin.

..:V:..

Kagome waited impatiently in the lunch line. It was lunch time, and a few days after Inuyasha had bugged her about her crying incident in their Physics class. She was still trying to put that incident out of her mind, just like she did with many others.

Kagome quietly put in an order for a carton of fries and took them from the lunch lady without out a word when they were ready. She quickly paid for her food at the cash register and then headed over to the condiments. She squirted a lot of ketchup on her fries, grabbed some napkins, and then started for the cafeteria door.

Once inside the large room full of eating and talking students, Kagome started to make her way towards her usual table, seeing disappointedly that Sango and Miroku were already there.

About halfway across the cafeteria, Kagome was jostled by a passing student. Her fries lurched and tipped over, the ketchup on them spilling onto her shirt. The offending student kept walking, as if nothing had happened.

Kagome groaned and looked down at her shirt. Red was smeared into her white shirt, staining and marring it. Suddenly, in her mind's eye, the thick red turned darker, and its opaqueness shifted into a more transparentness. The cafeteria and all of the students in it began fading into darkness as the liquid spread, covering her entire shirt and then seeping down her pants. It felt sticky as it dripped down her arms and a metallic taste came into her mouth as she realized the substance was all over her face and lips as well. She was covered in it.

And it wasn't ketchup anymore.

It was blood.

Kagome let out a blood curdling scream, dropping her lunch tray in the process. In a flash, all of her surroundings came back to her and she realized she was still in the cafeteria, with nothing more than a stain of ketchup on her shirt.

But the damage was done. Everyone in the room was looking at her in confusion, and some even in disdain. Kagome realized she was shaking uncontrollably and that the cafeteria had gone as silent as a grave.

She froze for a moment while all eyes were locked on her. Then someone coughed and she was broken out of her trance. Like a frightened deer, she bolted out of the cafeteria, leaving her spilled fries and countless mystified students in her wake. She navigated what she knew of her new school in order to find the outside doors and then burst out of them into the sunlight.

Kagome ran wildly for a tree situated on a small incline beside the school. Once there, she threw herself down at its base and tried to stop shaking. Her breaths were coming out raggedly, and a few beads of sweat ran down her temples.

What had that been? Was it another premonition of what would happen when that boy...? When he–?

"Kagome!"

Kagome's head shot up. Miroku and Sango were jogging towards her. She drew in a sharp intake of breath. What would she tell them?

"Kagome, what was that?" Sango asked worriedly, coming up in front of the near petrified girl.

"Are you alright, Kagome?" Miroku asked, a serious tone in his voice for once as he stopped beside Sango.

"I...uhh..."

"What's wrong, Kagome?" Sango asked. "You can tell us."

"N–nothing's wrong... I just..."

"Kagome? You do trust us, right? I mean–"

"Do you _mind_?!"

"Wha...?!"

Kagome, Miroku and Sango's heads shot up in order for them to regard the lower branches of the tree Kagome was sitting under. There on the second lowest branch, sprawled completely out, was Inuyasha looking distinctly tired and grumpy.

"What does a dog have to do to get a bit of sleep around here?" the boy asked irritably as he slowly pulled himself up to a sitting position.

Kagome let out a soft giggle. "You just called yourself a dog!" she said, pointing at him.

Inuyasha's eyes snapped down to the girl below him as he grumbled, "Whatever, girl. At least I don't look as if I'm some vampire that crawled out of its grave... Yeesh, you're pale enough, aren't you? And how'd you manage to get all that ketchup all over you? You must be clumsier than I thought..."

"Clumsy? Ha! I've got so much grace, I could be a balance beam gymnast!" Kagome retorted with false pride.

"Don't make me laugh!" Inuyasha snorted. "You? Grace? Those two words shouldn't even be in the same sentence, much less indicate that they have some sort of correlation!"

"Yeah, well, laugh it up dog boy..." Kagome muttered. "Like you have any more grace than me..."

"For your information, I'm more graceful than twenty ballerinas!" Inuyasha said, jumping down and landing lightly beside her.

Kagome raised an eyebrow. "Are you sure you should be proud of that...? You must be _really_ secure about yourself..."

Miroku snickered and the attention of the bickering pair was drawn to the interruption. "Who're these guys?" Inuyasha asked suspiciously. "Don't tell me you managed to make some friends, because I won't believe you."

"The name's Miroku," Miroku said, stepping forward and extending his hand. "And this is Sango. I've heard quite a bit about you... Inuyasha, I presume?"

Inuyasha's suspicious glance, if anything, became more intense at Miroku's last statement. "Oh...?" he inquired darkly. "And what stupid rumours have been floating around about me now?"

As Miroku opened his mouth to reply, Sango nudged him sharply in the ribs. "Nothing really, Inuyasha... Just, as you say, stupid ones we pay no heed to. So, um...you and Kagome seem...quite acquainted..." Sango said awkwardly.

Inuyasha snorted. "Acquainted? I guess you can say I have the misfortune of being acquainted with her..."

"It's not like I enjoy your arrogant presence, either, jerk," Kagome responded.

"Then why'd you come all the way out here to be in it?" Inuyasha asked, smirking. "I mean, I come out here every day at meal times to get away from you and everyone else, but now you're following me out...and you try to tell me you don't enjoy my presence?"

Kagome snorted. "Like I would ever _willingly_ go searching for _you_. I came out here because...um...because..." she trailed off uncertainly.

Inuyasha raised an eyebrow. "You came out here because um because? Pretty lame excuse, if you ask me. You know, you're a really horrible liar..."

"We're not exactly sure what happened to dear Kagome inside," Miroku started, "but she screamed loudly in the middle of the caf and then took off... We followed her out here..."

Inuyasha looked speculatively at Kagome as she glared at Miroku. "Really...?"

Kagome caught Inuyasha looking at her from the corner of her eye and turned to glare at him too. "None of your business!" she practically shouted, before he could even think of opening his mouth. "It's none of _any_ of your businesses!" she said to all of them before turning abruptly and running back towards the school.

Sango glanced at the two bewildered boys before following rapidly after the fleeing girl.

Miroku and Inuyasha shot each other quizzical looks before following the two girls at a slower pace.

"There's something strange about that girl..." Miroku mused, watching Kagome dash back inside the school, Sango in her wake.

"Tell me about it..." Inuyasha muttered, an indistinguishable look in his eyes. They entered the school just as Sango was about to catch up with Kagome.

"Kagome! Wait up!" Sango shouted after the running girl in front of her. When Kagome didn't respond in any way, Sango put on a burst of speed and caught up with her. She grabbed her forearm and Kagome reluctantly halted and faced her.

"What?" Kagome said nervously, quietly, as she avoided eye contact.

"I think there's a few things we should discuss..." Sango began.

"I've got nothing to say," Kagome insisted stubbornly.

Sango sighed. "Look, what is up with you? You try to push Miroku and I away constantly, but won't explain why, you had that weird outburst today in the caf, but you again won't explain it, and now you try to shrug me off when all I want to do is help! And I also see that you're practically a chatterbox when around Inuyasha, a guy you obviously hate! Mind explaining to me why you can talk more to your enemy than your friends?!"

Kagome's brain was reeling. What was she going to say?! She had to say something to Sango, and _now_. She couldn't avoid the confrontation any longer. And she didn't want to be mean, because Sango was such a nice person, but...how else could she get the message across? If Sango became her friend, she'd be bound to get hurt...or something...worse... She couldn't _have_ friendships; and she had to keep telling herself it was for Sango's sake she was going to say what she was about to...

Kagome slowly raised her brown eyes to meet Sango's dead on. In a slow, deliberate voice, she said, "Sango... I don't know where you picked up the delusion that we're friends, but we're _not_. You seem to think that being my roommate and then sitting with me everyday at meal times entitles you to be my automatic friend. You also think that it entitles you to know all my secrets... I don't remember ever conceding to you sitting with me when I eat, and I certainly don't remember acknowledging you as my friend. I don't mean this as any offence to who you are as a person, but I am not your friend, _and I never will be_!"

Sango stepped back, shocked. The other students in the hall grew silent as they watched the scene in awe and surprise. Kagome quickly wrenched her arm free of Sango's grip and raced off in the direction she'd been running in before.

No one saw her tears.

_I'm sorry, Sango. I'm _so_ sorry... I didn't want to have to do that...you didn't deserve that! But...I had to... I won't let what happen to the others happen to you... If given the choice of giving you _that_ fate or saying what I just said to you, I would repeat my words a million times over... I hope you'll understand someday...but for now...you can't be my friend. No one can..._

..:V:..

"Stupid Physics...stupid Chemistry..." Inuyasha muttered angrily. He kicked his desk in frustration. "Stupid, damn, bastard Sesshoumaru..."

"What're you whining about now, mutt face?" Inuyasha's roommate spoke up. The boy across the room sat up on his bed, shooting a disdainful look at Inuyasha with his cerulean blue eyes as he casually flicked his long, dark ponytail over his shoulder.

"Nothin' that concerns you, Kouga," Inuyasha spat. "It's just that I don't understand any of this crap..."

"Idiots do have a harder time grasping concepts than others," Kouga said snidely.

"That's why you've never grasped a concept in your life..." Inuyasha muttered.

"I'm way smarter than you could ever hope to be, dog turd," Kouga retorted.

"Oh, yeah?" Inuyasha asked. "Then why don't you try skipping from a grade seven level straight to a grade eleven one and pull off perfect marks?!"

"Relax, mutt face," Kouga said. "If I had been you, I wouldn't have gotten myself into your situation in the first place."

Inuyasha growled and leaped across the room in order to pull his roommate aggressively up by the collar. "Are you trying to imply something?!" he snarled.

Kouga pried Inuyasha's hands from his clothes and brushed himself off, giving the dog half-demon a dark look. "No... But if I had been...?"

"Then I would've ripped your good-for-nothing throat out!" Inuyasha almost yelled.

"Like you could," Kouga spat, turning his back on the irritated boy.

"Don't push me..." Inuyasha warned him lowly. "Don't you dare push me..."

"Heh," Kouga snorted, getting back in his bed and paying the fuming half–demon no more heed.

Inuyasha glared a few moments longer at the offensive wolf demon before slowly retreating to his side of the room. He angrily packed up his school books, uttering random obscenities every now and then. Then he clicked out the lights and went to his own bed, hoping the next day would be better than the one that was just ending.

..:V:..

A/N There we go, folks! Hope you enjoyed that chapter, though nothing earth–shattering happened in it, and it was slightly shorter than my last one... I'm impatient with these beginning chapters because I can't wait to get to all the good ideas I have for this fic! But I don't want to rush anything so you'll have to bear with me as I slowly develop it all. Okey dokey, then? I'll talk to you all later then and I hope to hear your thoughts on the chapter and how the story's going so far!


	6. To Be Called A Freak

Disclaimer: I can't say I own Inuyasha. Can you?

A/N I'm back! Thanks for the awesome reviews, guys; I really, really enjoyed them!

I'm also glad to see that most of you are now baffled and dying of curiosity. Excellent! That's just what I wanted! ;) Now, I don't intend to keep Kagome and Inuyasha's complete pasts from you guys for too much longer, so hang in for just a little bit more!

Now, my Thanksgiving present to you, the next chapter! (Though, in the States, it isn't Thanksgiving yet...meh, it is here!)

* * *

The whispers. The stares. That's what Kagome noticed the most as she walked down the hall. It had been a week since her outburst in the cafeteria and to Sango in the hall. During that time, she'd kept to herself, not talking to anyone but her brother, and finally being able to eat alone at lunch.

But every time she walked down the halls, the hushed comments reached her ears, the eyes burned at her back, and her self-consciousness grew. This was no different from her old school...it was starting all over again.

She entered the cafeteria only to encounter the same curious or disgusted looks she had been receiving for the past week. This time it was too much for her to bear, and she walked resolutely back out of the busy lunch room. Sighing, she made her way outside with her lunch tray, and found her way to the tree she had sat under a week ago.

She picked at her burger, but found that she wasn't really that hungry. She set the tray aside and stared blankly down at the grass in front of her, distantly wondering when Inuyasha would show up to reside in his favourite spot for the lunch break.

Kagome didn't have to wait long. Inuyasha soon walked up, slowing down as he approached her. He seemed unsure as to whether he should stay and just ignore her, or to turn now and walk away. Before he had a chance to make up his mind, however, Kagome spoke up.

"...Have you ever been called a freak?" she asked, cruel irony in her voice.

Inuyasha raised an eyebrow. "More times'n I can count..."

Kagome let out a short laugh that was filled with anything but humour. "And it makes you feel like you're lower than scum each time doesn't it?"

Inuyasha let out a low growl. "Actually, it makes me want to rip their freakin' throat out each time."

Kagome lifted her head and stared into his golden eyes, a wry, mocking smile on her face. "Yeah...that's what you'll tell everyone who asks, isn't it? But the truth is...no matter how much you don't want to, you start to believe that you might be...that you are...a freak. Heh...such a simple word...so much power...freak."

Inuyasha snarled as Kagome's words hit home. "Is there a point to this little chitchat?!"

Kagome leaned back, her palms supporting her as they pressed into the soft grass behind her. "You and I have both been called freaks, Inuyasha. But there's a difference that makes my situation slightly worse than yours."

"Oh?" Inuyasha inquired, a dangerous note to his voice. "How would you know if your situation's worse than mine?"

The mocking grin slipped from Kagome's face as she assumed a serious expression. "You're called a freak on what you are and what you look like...you're judged before people know you..."

"And that's supposed to be good?!" Inuyasha asked, his ire rising.

"Well...once people _do_ know you, it's not so bad, is it?" Kagome asked with a careless shrug. "It's better to be called a freak because of what you are than because of what you _do_... Wouldn't you say?"

Inuyasha's anger dissipated and he was left baffled. "Huh?"

Kagome lowered her face and gazed at the short blades of grass springing up from the ground. "It's because of things I've...done that get me labelled as a freak. I deserve the title...which makes it stings all the more."

"What a load of _crap_!!" Inuyasha shouted, jerking Kagome out of her reverie and causing her to look up at him in shock. "You've been called a freak for a different reason so it somehow makes your predicament worse than anyone else?! Do you even know what others have gone through or are you too caught up with your own self-pity?!"

Kagome's eyes flashed as she shot up to confront Inuyasha face to face. "I can bet anything in this world that what you've been through isn't half as bad as what I've had to go through!"

Inuyasha snarled and dashed up until his face was an inch from Kagome's. In a low, dangerous voice he said, "Then obviously you don't know me very well." With that, he abruptly spun around, his silver hair whipping Kagome's face as he stalked off in the direction of the school.

Kagome stood there shocked for a moment as she watched his retreating figure. Seeing that look on his face... She regretted her words already... He had been right. She had been too concerned with her own affairs to think of others. Just exactly _what_ had Inuyasha been through? She hadn't given it a second thought before deciding it was inconsequential compared to her own past. What a fool she was...

Kagome flopped dejectedly back on the ground, hanging her head.

_**Then obviously you don't know me very well.**_

_I guess not,_ Kagome thought gloomily to herself. _How many secrets of your own do you have, Inuyasha?_

Kagome was instantly reminded of that strange poem Inuyasha had written about himself the first day they met. Something about...five years ago...a tragic incident... Maybe that had something to do with it...

The more she thought about it, the more Kagome's interest was piqued. There was something about Inuyasha; something different. The whole school except her seemed to know about it, and gave the boy wide berth. Kagome didn't dare ask Sango about it after what she'd done to her...and it wasn't as if anyone else wanted anything to do with her... How could she...? Wait! There _might_ be a way...if the 'incident' had been big enough...

But...would Inuyasha like her to go behind his back to find out something personal about himself? Kagome already knew the answer to that. She could see his angry and yelling face in her mind as she asked herself the question. But at the same time...if the rest of the school already knew what his secret was...what was the problem? If she had been there at the time whatever it was happened, she would know what 'it' was too!

...So there was nothing wrong with it. No moral wrongs would be weighing down on her conscience. But in order to put her plan in action, she'd have to wait for the weekend. Three more days to go...

..:V:..

"Sango?"

Sango lifted her head to see Miroku approach her questioningly before sitting down across from her at their regular lunch table.

"Why do you keep sitting with me, Miroku?" Sango asked hollowly, picking at her food. "Kagome's not here anymore. You can go back with all your flaky girl admirers now. It's fine."

"But _you're_ not fine, are you, Sango?" Miroku asked, concern laced in his voice.

Sango gaze flickered to his face for a moment before turning resolutely back to her food. "I'm just fine, Miroku. Just leave me alone."

"If you were fine, Sango, I believe you would be sitting with your other lovely friends over there," Miroku said, lifting a hand to indicate the girls Sango had been sitting with before Kagome's arrival at the school.

"Hmph," Sango said, though there was hardly any emotion behind it. "What would you know anyways, Miroku?"

"I'd know a great deal of things," Miroku answered the rhetorical question. "I know how hurt you are because of Kagome's words, I know how guilty you feel for pushing Kagome to that point and last of all, I know how you're questioning how good a person you are and wondering if you actually deserved what she said to you."

"Oh, yeah?" Sango asked nastily. "And just how would you presume to know all this?"

"Because I know that if it had been me instead of you she had been saying those things to, that's the way _I_ would feel," Miroku said, reaching out with one hand to grasp Sango's chin and force her to look up at him.

Sango took a sharp intake of breath at the emotion she saw in Miroku's eyes. They were dead serious, but open and honest, compelling her to trust them. At the same time, they held a sharpness that Sango knew would see through any feeble lie she presented to them. With a sigh, Sango gave up her struggle and gazed back down at her food as Miroku's hand returned to his side.

"Oh, Miroku, I'm just so confused!" she admitted, stabbing the soggy cafeteria cheesecake with her fork. "I don't know what I should do... I can tell that Kagome's not a bad person...but there's something about her that we don't know... She's struggling with it, but won't let anyone help her... But I want to help her, Miroku! Should I keep trying to be her friend, even though she said those cruel things...or should I just let it go and give up; pretend she's not there when I go back to my dorm? Pretend I don't see her ravaged and tear-streaked face every morning when I wake up? And pretend...that I don't want anything more to do with her?"

Miroku massaged his forehead with one hand. "It's a complex problem to be sure... I...I think the best way to go about it for now would be to not push her and force her to be friends...but not to completely ignore her either... We have to find a balance somewhere... So that Kagome knows we're available for her to talk to, but that we're not in her face and making her feel cornered. Maybe this way she'll come to us on her own terms, and we can be ready to accept and help her if she does..."

Sango nodded thoughtfully before gracing Miroku with a smile she hadn't worn on her face for the past week. "Thanks, Miroku...that really helps."

"Any time, dear Sango," Miroku said, flashing a lopsided grin. "Besides, I'd much rather hang out with you than any of those 'flaky girl admirers,' as you so eloquently put it."

A blush sprang to Sango's cheeks. "Miroku...!" she admonished, though her voice lacked any venom whatsoever.

..:V:..

Kagome shivered and hugged her arms tighter around her body. It was quite chilly for mid-October and Kagome had felt the need to put on her winter jacket before venturing outside. This was the first time she had actually left the school grounds since coming to Madison and since she didn't know the layout of the city, a map was gripped firmly in one of her hands.

She had finally made it to the weekend, waiting impatiently each day and barely paying attention to any of her classes. Her curiosity was gnawing at her and the thought of finally knowing about Inuyasha's mysterious past made it virtually impossible for her to sit still for too long.

Souta had suggested going with her on her trip to the city library, but Kagome refused him, seeing how he had made new friends and not wanting to rip him away from them. Now she was blindly walking the large city, trying to make sense of her map. With Souta and her searching together, they had found the little symbol indicating the library, and now her eyes were trying to sort through the jumbled of lines to find proper streets that would guide her to her destination.

Finally, after taking about three wrong turns, Kagome ended up on a highway that branched off onto a large bridge. A sign beside it read: Closed nights. Please use alternate bridge.

Kagome shrugged. Well, it was open now, and if her poor ability to read maps was anything to go by, she should be able to reach the library shortly after crossing the structure. Making up her mind, she quickly crossed the highway at the next set of lights and made her way over to the bridge.

As soon as her foot touched the concrete of the bridge, however, Kagome felt a slightly queasy feeling in her stomach. Suppressing and ignoring it, she pushed on, assuming it was nothing more than nervousness.

But as she walked further across the bridge, her uneasiness grew, leaving her with a sinking feeling in her stomach. She glanced around herself, but saw nothing but normal city traffic; cars racing across the bridge and pedestrians and cyclists travelling along the guarded sidewalk off to the side. Nothing was unusual or out of the ordinary; so why was she being overcome with this horrible sense of dread?

As Kagome approached the centre of the large bridge, an intense chill went up her spine, stopping her dead in her tracks. No matter how much she tried to shake the horrible feeling, it stayed with her and began to make her feel nauseated. She tried to continue walking, but stumbled instead as a wave of dizziness overtook her. Staggering over to the side of the bridge, she grasped the concrete supports and tried to steady herself.

Though she tried to even out her breathing, her queasiness was unabated and soon she felt horribly sick to her stomach. With a lurch, she flung her upper half over the side of the bridge support wall and retched violently.

"Oh, you poor dear!" someone exclaimed from behind her. "Are you alright?"

When Kagome's stomach had been emptied, she turned to see a middle aged woman with a concern expression on her face. Kagome coughed a few times, but didn't feel any better. "I... I... need to get out of here!" she cried, spinning and running desperately for the other side of the bridge.

As soon as her foot left the last bit of the bridge, her stomach sickness suddenly vanished, and Kagome was left with a huge sense of relief. Puzzled, Kagome wiped her mouth on her sleeve and glanced back towards the bridge. Everything was normal, nothing out of the ordinary. So what had made her react that way? It was almost frightening...

Still feeling unsure about her reaction to the bridge, Kagome uneasily looked back down at her map, which she had crumpled in her fist. Straightening it out, she discovered she wasn't too far from the library now. She decided to set out again, telling herself that on the way back, she'd be sure to take the alternate bridge.

..:V:..

"Stupid girl..." Inuyasha muttered, kicking his dorm room door shut. Ever since his conversation with her three days prior, he could get her out of his head. It bugged him to no end that she automatically thought that whatever her past had been like was so much more horrible than anyone's else's. She didn't even _know_ what others' pasts were like. Self-righteous bitch.

"What're you moping about now, dog-turd?" Kouga's annoying voice drifted to him.

Inuyasha growled. "None of your damn business."

"What, are ya gonna cry again about how much of a dumbass you are and how you can't keep up in school?" Kouga mocked him.

"_Shut up!_" Inuyasha yelled. "I did not _cry_..." he added sullenly.

"Pretty damn close," Kouga sneered. "Such a whelp... You know, I wish you'd never woken up."

Inuyasha snarled. "You know what? Me too. That way I wouldn't have to live with the likes of you!"

"Why don't you go and cry about that too?" Kouga said.

Inuyasha's eyebrow twitched. "You'll be the one crying if you keep this up."

"Heh, whatever, dog crap," Kouga backed down. "I'm going to the library anyways."

"Thank god," Inuyasha said snidely as his roommate pushed past him and out the door.

..:V:..

"Souta..." Shippo began hesitantly. "What...what's up with your sister...?"

Souta lifted his head up from his math homework. "Huh?"

"Well...why does she come in some nights crying...?" Shippo asked in a shaky voice. "It's freaky..."

"Uhh..." Souta glanced around the room uneasily for a second and scratched the back of his head thoughtfully. "I can't really...say, Shippo. It's kind of a secret. But, it's not her fault or anything; things have just...happened to her. And I'm the only one who can comfort her. I can't say much more than that," Souta finished apologetically as he turned back to his homework.

Shippo didn't look satisfied. In fact, almost a frightened expression was on his face.

..:V:..

Kagome had already searched around the library for a good fifteen minutes before she realized she would never get anywhere on her own. She needed some help.

"Um, excuse me," she said hesitantly as she approached the librarian. As the woman glanced up from sorting something out on her computer, Kagome continued, "I'm looking for possible newspaper articles...from five years ago?"

The woman smiled. "Ah, yes. Newspaper articles from so long ago we don't tend to keep. But since they're so important, we scan them and keep them in our newspaper slide system. Shall we go take a look?"

Kagome nodded enthusiastically and followed the kindly woman as she bustled towards the back of the library. On the way, the librarian asked, "Now, what was it you were specifically looking for, my dear?"

"Oh! Um...I was just wondering if there was anything concerning...uh...Inuyasha Reijiro?" Kagome said uncertainly.

The librarian's face immediately saddened. "Oh, dear...the Reijiro incident. That was a tragedy..."

In opposition to the woman's face, Kagome face brightened. "So you know about it?!"

"Oh, yes," the woman said sadly. "What a terrible event that was; the whole city was aggrieved. Here we are." They had arrived at a machine at the back of the building, and the librarian switched it on and typed "Reijiro, 5 yrs. ago" in a little search box. Then she turned and placed a hand on Kagome's shoulder. "I hope this helps, dear. Are you doing a project or something on this?"

"Oh, no," Kagome was quick to say. "I'm new to this city and I just...heard rumours about it and was curious as to what happened..."

The lady shook her sadly. "Well...good luck, I suppose. You won't like what you find out, though..." With that, she turned and made her way back to her desk, muttering something like, "Poor Inuyasha..."

Kagome blinked and looked in confusion at the librarian's back as she walked away. What happened to Inuyasha was so big that the whole city knew of it? She felt a pang of guilt. Maybe she truly _had_ misjudged him...

She turned back to the newspaper database to see it finish searching and bring up a newspaper article on the screen. One glance at the headline was enough to make her gasp out loud.

_**Slaughter At Reijiro Home**_

..:V:..

A/N Oh! What's this?! What happened to Inuyasha? Why did I have to cut it off right there? How many of my dismembered limbs thrown in a ditch will the police find tomorrow morning for doing so?

Hmm...well...it felt like a good place to end it...next chapter you'll be able to read the article! So don't kill me just yet!

And sorry for making Kouga somewhat of a jackass...but it's necessary for later on... Those little excerpts of Kouga with Inuyasha and Shippo with Souta were also necessary for later on, so they weren't as pointless as they seemed!

And I'm aware this chapter was slightly shorter, but I ran out of things to happen in it; the chapters can't _all_ be long or a set length...that's just the way this story works. But I hope you liked this chapter and I'll try to get the next one out as soon as possible!


	7. A New Hero

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha, but he's my little puppet in this story and I have _complete_ control over him... Be afraid. Be very afraid. –wink–

A/N Heya, everybody! Sorry for the delay, I had to get some fairly lengthy King of the Hill chapters out... But I'm back now to get you off of that nasty cliffhanger I put you all on last chapter... Yeah...about that...uh...sorry? Lol, my apologies for the suspense, but now have the next part as recompense!

–shifty eyes– Ah, yes...about my declaration that Spacewolf, Calum the Angel and I were determined to overtake this website with our humour... That's still a promise! This story is just...uh...well, it's serious...but in a cool way! Right...? Well, I couldn't resist! Besides...my friends and I discuss equally funny possible events for this story as we do for any of our humour fics...you'll just never get to read those events...

* * *

_**Slaughter At Reijiro Home**_

Kagome stared wide-eyed at the headline for a few moments before gulping and daring to read the article that followed.

_Tuesday, May 15th, 1999_

_Last night a tragedy occurred at the Reijiro household. A lady was walking her dog down the street when her dog started tugging strongly on the leash. The lady was eventually dragged onto the lawn of the Reijiro's property and up to the shrubberies in front of the house. _

_There, she discovered the bloody bodies of Izayoi Reijiro and her son, Inuyasha. The woman frantically called 911 on her cell phone and the police were quick to rush over. They then discovered the body of Inutaisho Reijiro inside the house. Inutaisho Reijiro, the owner and head of Western Enterprises, appears to have been shot once in the heart and once in the head with bullets imbued with spiritual power. There was no possible way for Inutaisho to survive, even with his demonic strength and healing capabilities. Police believe he was shot first, and his wife and child were witnesses. Izayoi, Inutaisho's wife, was also shot dead, though with regular bullets, probably after fleeing the killer and making it only so far as outside of the front door. _

_Inuyasha, twelve years old, was shot once in the back with a spiritual bullet, but miraculously has managed to live. Now, he remains in a deep coma; one from which doctors are unsure as to whether he will ever wake._

_Police appear to not have discovered many clues indicating the perpetrator at the crime scene_,_ though a more thorough investigation will take place. However, their best hope is that the boy reawakens and is able to name the individual who committed this heinous crime._

_The Reijiro's second son, Sesshoumaru, has been away at university for the past year and was not present during the murders last night. He has now returned, however, and will take over the guardianship of his brother._

_More will be reported on this story as it develops._

Kagome shook her head in disbelief. "Oh, god..." she whispered. "Inuyasha..."

A foggy memory resurfaced and Kagome's palms grew sweaty as she recalled gunshots screaming through the air and the cries of agonizing pain they inevitably caused. She quickly squeezed her eyes tightly shut before reopening them again, only to stare once again at the horrifying article before her.

Scanning the screen, Kagome discovered that this first page with the article was one of three. As she clicked on the NEXT button, two other, smaller, articles popped up. Reading quickly through them, it seemed that the police investigation came to dead ends in every direction and they had had no choice but to close the case. Inuyasha remained as the last hope, but he also remained in a comatose state and the chances that he could awake were bleak, according to his doctors. The killer had escaped the justice system, for the time being.

Kagome exhaled a loud breath as she slumped back in her chair. "Wow..." was all she managed to say. She gazed blankly at the computer screen for a few more moments before realizing something. Inuyasha was obviously awake from his coma now or had been for a while... Perhaps he had identified the murderer?

Just as Kagome was about to search for another article concerning the Reijiro case, a loudspeaker sounded throughout the library, announcing it was due to close in five minutes.

"Phooey..." Kagome muttered as she shut down the newspaper machine. "I knew I should have come earlier..."

As she made her way towards the librarian's desk and the exit, Kagome considered asking the woman about what had happened when Inuyasha had woken up, but was disappointed to see she was already deep in conversation with another employee. Kagome shrugged. The library was closed the next day, Sunday, but she could always come back the next weekend.

Exiting the library and making her way down the street, Kagome spotted the bridge she had crossed originally on her way from the school. Uneasily, she glanced around and saw the alternate bridge a little farther down. Deciding to use it instead, she hurried past the other one, receiving a queasy feeling in the pit of her stomach as she went.

..:V:..

"_Kaede!_" Inuyasha yelled as he stormed into the principal's office Tuesday afternoon.

"Yes, Inuyasha?" Kaede replied blandly.

The half-dog demon ignored the third occupant of the room as he charged up to Kaede's desk and slammed his fists down on it. "I want my own friggin' room!" he declared.

Kaede raised an eyebrow. "For what reason?"

Inuyasha snarled. "I can't stand Kouga any longer! I'm gonna kill him if I have to endure one more day in the same room as him!"

"Hmm..." Kaede said thoughtfully as she rifled through a few papers on her desk. After a few minutes, she glanced back up at the irritated boy and said, "I'm sorry, Inuyasha, but there appear to be no more free rooms. I can't give you a new room to yourself..."

"Dammit!" Inuyasha exclaimed. "There must be _something_ you can do to get me out of that hell hole!"

Kaede pursed her lips. "Perhaps there is..." She nodded her head at someone behind Inuyasha and he turned to see a tiny fox demon perched on a chair. "See...young Shippo there has also just come to me with a complaint about his room... I might be able to arrange for you two to switch rooms. Your rooms are right next door to each other, so it wouldn't be a big move, but it would have the desired effect, I believe."

Inuyasha eyed the young fox demon suspiciously. "Why do you want out of your room, twerp?"

The boy, who had looked shaken before, puffed himself up and glared back at Inuyasha indignantly. "I–! Uh...I...because..." he trailed off, looking a bit more unsure of himself.

"That's confidential, Inuyasha," Kaede cut in. "But I'm sure it won't cause any problems for you. As long as you don't mind bunking with...let's see...ah! Souta Higurashi, a boy eight years younger than yourself."

Inuyasha was silent for a few moments as he tried to recall where he'd heard the name Higurashi before. When he couldn't remember, though, he shrugged and said, "Keh, whatever. Anything's better than Kouga. Good luck, kid." He smirked at Shippo.

"Inuyasha!" Kaede admonished him before turning to the fox demon boy. "Pay no heed to Inuyasha, child. Inuyasha doesn't get along very well with him, but Kouga can be a quite nice young man when they're not around each other. You have nothing to fear from him."

Shippo nodded his head uncertainly. "O–okay..."

"Great," Inuyasha said, straightening. "So when do I move in with the little brat?"

Kaede sighed and shook her head. "His name's Souta, not 'little brat', Inuyasha."

Inuyasha shrugged. "Same difference."

"You're hopeless," the principal informed him, though one corner of her mouth was turned up slightly. "But... I suppose you two could start packing up your stuff and switching tonight; just as long as you leave enough time to finish your homework for your classes tomorrow."

"I'd do a whole extra English essay to get out of Kouga's room," Inuyasha told her bluntly.

Kaede assumed a thoughtful expression. "Well..."

"Don't even think about it," Inuyasha cut her off as he abruptly turned and sauntered out of the office.

..:V:..

"Hey... Mind if I sit here?"

Inuyasha sniffed the air then slowly opened his eyes to look below the branch he was sprawled on. The black–haired human that Inuyasha had initially met when he had followed Kagome outside was standing below his tree, looking up at him questioningly. "Keh, whatever," he said indifferently. "...Miroku, right?"

The other boy plopped himself down at the base of the tree and nodded. "Yep, that's me." Miroku then turned to the tray he had brought out with him and began munching on his hamburger.

After a few moments of silence, Inuyasha spoke up again, "So...what are you doing out here today? Don't you usually eat with Kagome and that other girl...?"

"You mean Sango," Miroku corrected him. "Well...we don't sit with Kagome anymore because...well, I would think it would be obvious... And Sango's on the Athletic Council and they have a special meeting today. So I decided I'd head out here and see if you could stand my presence."

Inuyasha shrugged. "Better than the company of the grass, I suppose... So...where does Kagome eat if you don't sit with her anymore?"

Miroku raised an eyebrow. "Just at different tables...or sometimes I don't see her at all in the caf. I figure she comes out here somewhere. Why? You interested in her or something?"

Inuyasha scoffed. "Hardly. Just moderately interested BY her is all. She's weird..."

"Who isn't?" Miroku shrugged. "Still...I can't pretend I haven't noticed the same thing. I guess we'll never know what's up with her, though... She doesn't exactly seem inclined to talk to us about it."

"Whatever," Inuyasha muttered. "It's not like we need to feel sorry for her; she pities herself enough already."

"Don't you do the same thing for the situation you're in?" Miroku challenged.

Inuyasha glared down at the insolent boy. "Where do you get off assuming things about me? Talking as if you know me?"

"I'm not assuming; just observing," Miroku said. "I know all about your past from the media coverage at the time and now I'm just associating your habits with them. You hardly talk to anyone from what I here, and you're constantly looking for places to be alone, where no one will bother you. Judging from your comment about Kagome, what you're doing could be considered sulking."

Inuyasha let out a growl. "I _don't _sulk," he ground out through his teeth.

"Of course not," Miroku said conversationally. "I respect your right to do as you choose and I feel that if I were you, I'd probably be doing the same thing. I'm just saying, we don't know what _Kagome_'s past has been like, and so she may very well deserve to act in the way that she does. It's not for us to judge her as a freak without actually knowing all of what she _is_."

Inuyasha blinked and was shocked momentarily into silence. All of a sudden, with Miroku's admonishment, Inuyasha understood what Kagome had been trying to tell him the week before. She didn't feel sorry for herself, just victimized because she didn't feel anyone had the right to call her or anyone else a freak until they truly knew _all_ of who they were and what they'd been through.

"Um...Inuyasha?" Miroku's voice broke through his reverie. "You still with me?"

"Huh? What–oh... Uh, yeah... So maybe I wasn't completely fair on the self–pity thing... But her attitude still stinks. I can't stand her," Inuyasha insisted, crossing his arms.

"Really?" Miroku asked skeptically. "So why is it you're the only one she'll extensively talk to?"

"Talk?!" Inuyasha exclaimed incredulously. "Are you deaf?! All we do is argue!"

Miroku shrugged. "Even so... That's more than she'll grace anyone else with..."

"You're nuts," Inuyasha told him bluntly. "And delusional..."

Miroku only responded with a quirk of his eyebrow as he hid a knowing smile.

..:V:..

Something was sticky. Kagome rubbed her finger and thumb together and felt a substance between them. Slowly opening her eyes, she saw that it was red and it was not only on her fingers, but staining the length of her arms. Glancing down, she saw it was spattered all over her shirt and she was currently kneeling in a puddle of it.

Her focus shifted to a figure before her. It looked like a person. Squinting through the dim light, Kagome realized it was a boy. The red liquid seemed to be oozing from a large hole in his chest and several other small cuts covering the length of him. In horror, Kagome realized that the red substance was...blood.

Something else drew her attention, though. Kagome reached up her hand to a tingly feeling place on her cheek. Touching it lightly, she withdrew her fingers to see a clear substance mixing with the red one already present. Tears. She was crying.

"Ka–"

Kagome's head snapped back down to the boy struggling to hang on to his waning life.

"Ka–go...me..." the boy managed to gasp out. As he struggled to open his eyes, he shakily raised one hand out towards her. There was a pained look in his eyes as his fingers gently brushed her cheek. Then his dark eyes rolled back in his head and his hand fell lifelessly to the ground.

Kagome stared in horror and shook her head in disbelief. "No...no...it isn't real... It isn't real... _It isn't real!!_"

Kagome woke with a start. Sitting straight up in her bed, she looked down at her shaking hands. "It isn't real..." she whispered again. Then she raised one hand and touched the spot on her cheek where the boy's fingers had been. "It felt real...but it _isn't_. Not yet." Her voice shook on this words and she flung back the covers on her bed. "I...I need to see Sou–Souta..."

She rose unsteadily from her bed and staggered towards her dorm room door. Flinging it open, she ran out, not noticing how Sango watched her go.

..:V:..

Inuyasha frowned as a quiet knock reached his sensitive ears and roused him from his slumber. Groggily he sat up in bed and glanced at the clock on his bedside table. He stared, uncomprehending, at the glowing numbers for a few moments before the realization of what he was looking at struck him. _Who the bloody hell knocks at someone's door at two o'clock in the bloody morning? _he thought grumpily.

Angrily, he untangled himself from his sheets and made his way to his dorm room door, ignoring the sounds of his young roommate rousing as well. Inuyasha threw open the door, prepared to give whoever it was a piece of his mind, but was stupefied to find a shaking Kagome before him. It was like that night two weeks ago when she had accidentally knocked on his door...

Kagome looked up at him in apprehension and slight bewilderment. "W–wrong door again...?" she asked nervously, almost to herself.

As Inuyasha simply stared at her, he felt a tug on the back of his pants. Startled, he glanced behind himself to find his new roommate looking up at him. He hadn't really noticed earlier, but confronted with this situation, Inuyasha realized that it was the same kid that had taken Kagome away from his door before. Higurashi. That's why the name had been familiar. It was the same as Kagome's last name. He must be her brother.

Solemnly, the boy brushed past Inuyasha and took Kagome's arm in his hands. "No, it's okay, sis. Inuyasha just switched rooms, that's all. He's my new roommate. Now come on inside." As Souta began to lead his sister into the dorm room, Inuyasha quickly got out of the way before closing the door behind them.

Curiously, Inuyasha watched as Souta sat Kagome down on his bed and began trying to comfort her. As much as he was dying to say something, Inuyasha wisely kept his mouth shut.

"It's okay, Kagome...it's okay," Souta said quietly as he hugged his sister. "What was it this time?"

Kagome tried to reduce the shaking of her hands as she fiddled with the bedspread. "It was..." She looked up uncertainly at Inuyasha before continuing in a whisper. Unknown to her, his keen ears picked up everything she said. "...It was the boy. But it was kind of different this time... I could move a bit and he definitely knew me. He...he said my name and..." Kagome paused in order to shakily raise a hand to her cheek. Then she shook her head and dropped her hand back down. "But I don't know who _he_ is, Souta!" she whispered furiously. "I can't find him anywhere in this blasted school. And I don't know how soon _it_ will happen. What if I find him and I don't have enough time to...? I can't fail this time, Souta... I _can't_..."

Inuyasha's brow furrowed. What _was_ she babbling about? Some sort of dream? Something about a boy? He shook his head and laid back down on his bed. It made no sense to him. A few moments later, Kagome began to cry and it was almost painful to his ears. He _hated_ it when people cried, especially women. Cringing, Inuyasha stuffed his pillow over his head in an attempt to block out the sounds. But his sensitive ears picked up Kagome's muffled sobs even through the material and after a few minutes, he could no longer take it. He threw the pillow down to the ground and sat back up abruptly.

"Uhh...Kagome...?" he asked uncertainly.

Kagome barely hiccuped before resuming her crying without responding.

Inuyasha drew his eyebrows together in irritation. "Come on, Kagome. What's wrong, anyways? Why are you crying like that?"

"N–none of–f your bu–business!" Kagome said shakily back. "Go away!"

Inuyasha surveyed the room with a raised eyebrow. "You are aware that this is my room now, right? There's not really anywhere else I could go..." Then Inuyasha got a sly look on his face and he snapped his fingers as if in realization. "But now that you mention it, that musty, smelly old janitor's closet looked pretty inviting. I'll just go sleep in there, shall I?"

Kagome's sobs began to slow somewhat as Souta just gave the older boy a bewildered look.

"Or–wait! There's one of the exclusively teacher bathrooms... I wonder what surprises would await me there... Could be worth checking out..." Inuyasha mused in a serious tone.

By this time, Kagome's tears had stopped and she sniffed a few times.

Inuyasha watched her out of the corner of his eye before continuing. "Hmm...I'm a little hungry... Maybe I'll sneak to the kitchens and see if anything's edible. I might figure out what the mystery meat is once and for all... Then again, knowing what that mush is might force me to forsake food as a whole for the rest of my natural life."

Kagome wiped her eyes as a tiny giggle escaped her lips. Souta stared in open mouthed shock as Kagome stood shakily and said, "It's okay, Inuyasha... You can stay here. I'm alright now; I think I'll go back to my room. Bye, Souta..."

Kagome shuffled towards the door and slipped silently out while closing the door quietly behind her.

Inuyasha leaned back against the wall his bed was set up next to and sighed in relief. "I'm _so_ good," he said in a self–congratulatory manner.

"H–how did you do that...?"

"Huh?" Inuyasha turned to see Souta staring at him in complete bewilderment.

"Y–you... She...she stopped crying... A–and she l–laughed..." Souta gaped at the older boy as if he had three heads.

Inuyasha raised an eyebrow. "Yeah? So? Is there something unusual about laughing?"

Souta shook his head as if to say that Inuyasha just wasn't getting it. "Kagome hasn't laughed in...close to three years..."

It was Inuyasha's time to stare. "Uh...just a bright little ray of sunshine, isn't she?"

Souta shot him a bit of a glare. "Hey, that's not fair! You don't know what she's been through! She–" he cut off, his eyes wide, before he could let out anything about his sister's secrets.

Inuyasha's curiosity was piqued, however. "What? What has she been through, kid?"

Souta gave him a defiant look. "I...I can't tell you! She wouldn't want me to..." After a pause, he looked down and twisted his fingers together. "It's just that...she's witnessed..._things_ no one should and... Well, nobody would understand anyway...she doesn't want people bugging her about it."

Inuyasha gave Souta a sceptical look. "What do you mean, nobody would understand? There's a helluva lot of people who've seen some pretty horrible things."

"_Nothing_ like what Kagome's seen, I'm telling you," Souta insisted. "See? You're just like everyone else; you don't understand, you _can't_ understand. Not until you've seen her..."

"What do you mean, kid? I see her almost everyday..." Inuyasha said, puzzled.

Souta gave him a half frown. "You _think_ you see her, but aren't _really_ seeing her each day. You can't see what she's really like, what she sees, goes through and witnesses..."

"Then why don't you tell me, kid?" Inuyasha suggested. "I'd know then, wouldn't I?"

Souta shook his head. "I told you, I can't tell. If you were to ever know, it would be because Kagome told you. I love her too much to betray her secrets. But for what it's worth, I think you're awesome. I've never seen Kagome stop crying so quickly. It was amazing."

With that, the boy gave Inuyasha a brilliant smile before turning around and clambering back into his bed. As Inuyasha also climbed back under his covers grumbling about something, Souta sighed in contentment. Despite his words to the older boy, Souta had a feeling that Inuyasha might truly be able to help his sister in some way. He had seemed genuinely interested and concerned for her and through some miracle, he had halted Kagome's tears.

And the silvery laugh she had let out had been like music to his ears. He hadn't heard her laugh in so long that he had been caught completely off guard when it had escaped her lips. Try hard as he might, he hadn't been able to cause that sound for the past three years. But Inuyasha had been able to. He had accomplished something Souta had long thought impossible.

One thing was certain; Souta had a new hero.

* * *

A/N Aw, wasn't that cute?

I hope it isn't getting too repetitive or anything with all the angst. I'm half tempted to get out a violin myself and start playing a sad, sad song for Kagome... Although, it wouldn't really work since I don't know how to play the violin...

Anymewho, you know now half of Inuyasha's story so –gasp– we get to feel sorry for him too! Who wants to hold an angst fest? Wow, I'm in a sardonic mood tonight... I'm just gonna shut up now and post... Hope you liked it and I can't wait to hear your thoughts and such!


	8. The Past Revealed

Disclaimer: Well, they're not mine to sell, but how much do you think Inuyasha's ears would go for on ebay? Just a curious question...

A/N Okay, sorry for the (**_EXTREME_**) lateness! If you really want an explanation, go read my author's note of chapter thirty–one of my King of the Hill fic. I don't particularly feel like repeating myself... But I was also muchly delayed on this one because there was something I had to sort out in it, and then school started again and I got my internet taken away AGAIN and then exams came up and then I went out of town and then the new semester started... But it's all good now, so why don't we carry on?

Oh, but there's one thing I have to address, and it can only be blamed on my memory. Tanwen-Whitefire, you are absolutely correct in the fact that I made Kagome laugh earlier on in the fic; when they were in the taxi... Um...oops? But, anyways, in a way, I can make it work. See, when Kagome laughed in the taxi, it was...a laugh, but...it wasn't...you know, cheerful and because of something that she really found funny. And in my mind (not that you guys can see into my mind as you read these things), it was more of a low chuckle for the sake of chuckling. She does love Souta very much, and found what he was saying half amusing, but it was more of a "I only expend myself because it's you and you're the only thing keeping me going" laugh/chuckle. And when she laughed at Inuyasha, it was because she genuinely found him funny and it was somewhat carefree and not oppressed by all of her other troubles. Is this making any sense? I'm spending an entire paragraph trying to explain my mistake away so I hope so!

Oh, and Shahrezad1, about the gunshot bit; I think I said that a foggy memory of gunshots flying through the air resurfaced in Kagome's mind. So it was definitely some sort of memory. But of what, I suppose you'll find out...very, very soon...

Sarriennia, I don't have a lot of time (so I probably couldn't beta or edit your fics), but I'd be more than happy to provide tips and such. If you want to send me an email, I'd love to help you out with your fics. Drop me a line at super(underscore)ceech(at)yahoo.ca!

Kuo, say thanks again to your sister for me! It was an AWESOME manga strip!

And I'd like to take this time here to say that no matter what, I will NEVER, EVER give up on ANY of my fics no matter how long I take to update. So if it's been a while, and you think I'm dead, I'm NOT! And I HAVEN'T given up! I solemnly swear to finish each and every one (though there's only really two)! It's a promise and I won't let you guys down!

Okey dokey, now that I've made this author's note ridiculously long like many of my other ones, I guess it's time to get on with the chapter... Here we go; I think you guys will really like this one! It should help to dispel some confusion!

* * *

Inuyasha couldn't deny it; he was completely and utterly baffled. Though he had felt he and Kagome had almost established some sort of connection two nights ago when she had come stumbling to his new room, ever since then she had been acting if the entire incident had never occurred. She had gone back to being reclusive, quiet, and just as disagreeable with him as always.

Inuyasha couldn't for the life of him figure out this strange girl. And because of her annoying and frustrating habits, he discovered she invaded his thoughts frequently. This realization irritated him to no end. He would have loved nothing more than to be rid of her and her mysteries entirely, but somehow she wormed her way into his thoughts whenever his mind began to stray.

"Inuyasha!"

Inuyasha sat straight up on the branch he was lounging on and smacked his forehead as he realized he'd just been puzzling over Kagome again. Frustrated, he glared below him at Miroku, who was looking up at him innocently. "What'd ya want?" Inuyasha asked rudely.

"I was just wondering what you were thinking about; that's all," Miroku responded. "You hadn't said anything for a while and when I looked up at you, you had this spaced–out expression going on."

"Keh," Inuyasha dismissed him. "Whatever... I wasn't thinking about anything important."

Miroku shrugged. "Suit yourself."

Inuyasha gave the boy below him a suspicious look. "Suit myself what...?"

"Oh, nothing," Miroku said breezily. "It's just that you're obviously not comfortable with telling me the truth so I can live with that."

Inuyasha glared at Miroku. "Who says I wasn't telling the truth?"

"Well... If it were nothing important, you wouldn't have devoted so much concentration to it, would you?" Miroku asked, having fun toying with his new friend.

"Oh, stuff it," Inuyasha replied, disgruntled.

The two boys were lounging outside that Thursday evening. Classes had ended a half an hour earlier and they weren't currently hungry enough for dinner so they had opted for hanging out at their soon–becoming ritual lunch tree.

"So..." Miroku started hesitantly after a few moments of silence. "How are your classes going so far?"

Inuyasha slumped down against the branch he was lying on and rubbed his forehead with his fingertips. "You really don't want to know," he grumbled.

"Need an unofficial tutor?" Miroku asked.

Inuyasha raised an eyebrow even though Miroku couldn't see him. "You offering?"

Miroku shrugged. "Why not? I've always had pretty decent marks and I just took the classes you're taking last year. And I just thought you might need some extra help because of the situation you're in."

Inuyasha's sceptical look became a glare at the branches above him. "I'm not an idiot, if that's what you're implying!"

A sigh was heard from below. "You like to misinterpret what others' say, Inuyasha," Miroku responded calmly. "I'm not trying to insult you; I'm only trying to help."

"Hmph. Fine. If you insist on 'helping' me, I guess I have no choice but to go along with it," Inuyasha conceded grudgingly.

Miroku took Inuyasha's hidden "yes" with only an exasperated shake of the head. This guy obviously didn't make friends easily.

As he continued staring blankly ahead of himself, Miroku caught sight of a figure approaching them from the school. As the figure gradually came closer, Miroku was able to distinguish her as Sango. Though, the fact that her shoulders were slumped and she had somewhat of a defeated look on her face caused Miroku's concern to mount.

"What's wrong?" he asked as she sat down on the ground beside him and wrapped her light jacket tighter around her torso.

Sango sighed. "Is there something wrong with me?" she asked in a desperate voice.

"Uh..." Miroku wasn't sure how to respond. "Not that I can tell. Why?"

"Well, I've been trying to take your advice, right? You know, about not forcing Kagome to be friends, but to not completely ignore her..."

Inuyasha, who hadn't been paying attention since Sango's arrival, cracked an eye open and perked an ear at the mention of Kagome.

"...So I've been making tentative approaches to her lately..." Sango continued under Miroku's encouraging nod. "You know, just little stuff. I bid her 'good morning' and 'good night' and always try to keep a smile on whenever she's around, but..."

"But?" Miroku prompted.

"But she completely ignores me!" Sango exhaled loudly. "It's like I'm not even there, the way she acts. She never acknowledges me and I don't think she's even _looked_ at me since that day in the hall! What's _wrong_ with me? Do I push too much?"

Miroku could tell that Sango seemed really torn up about her predicament and he carefully reached over and pulled her head down onto his shoulder in a comforting sort of a hug. Inuyasha wisely chose to keep quiet from his perch on his branch. He doubted Sango even knew he was there.

"There's nothing wrong with you," Miroku said firmly. "You're one of the best friends anyone could ever have, and I'm sure Kagome will come to realize that in time. I think that Kagome's just dealing with some issues right now that are too deep for any of us to comprehend... Maybe it would be best to leave her completely alone for the time being. From what you've told me, she's not responding to your efforts, but it's my guess is that your friendliness is just making it all the more difficult for her to ignore you. We really don't want to force her to something she doesn't want so maybe for now it's best if she's left alone."

Sango nodded her head against his shoulder and sighed. "Yeah, I guess so. Thanks, Miroku; you always seem to know how to cheer me up. ...When you're not being a pervert, that is."

"Sango!" Miroku proclaimed in a shocked tone. "How you insult me so!" He pressed a hand over his heart as if she had truly wounded him.

Sango smacked his arm lightly with a smile. "Oh, don't even try to deny it, you little perv."

Miroku sighed tragically. "Alright, I won't... But then you can't deny that you like me..." he said in a sly tone.

"W–what!" Sango exclaimed, a blush springing to her cheeks.

"...As a friend," Miroku finished as if he hadn't heard her. Then he blinked and looked back at her innocently. "What is it, dear Sango? Were you thinking of something else?" He was having a difficult time keeping the grin off of his face.

"Errrrgh!" Sango huffed, realizing he'd been joking with her. "You...you... I don't know what, but something bad!"

"Oh, now you really have hurt me!" Miroku proclaimed, clutching his chest once again, but this time pretending as if he were dying. Sango laughed and threw some fallen leaves at him.

Inuyasha rolled his eyes as the pair of them started a leaf fight below him. He tuned out the noise and stared at what he could see of the blue sky through the tree branches above him. The more he heard about Kagome, the more curious and irritated he became. This time was no exception.

Just from hearing about her behaviour, he was annoyed at her treatment of Sango. From what he could tell, Sango was a fairly nice human being (not that _he_ would go out of his way to get to know her), and Kagome was completely ignoring her. He didn't care how "horrible" her past was anymore; her attitude was downright getting on his nerves! She really needed a lesson on humility and he was hoping she'd get it soon...

..:V:..

The next day, Inuyasha hardly spoke a word to Kagome in their Physics class, and she herself didn't initiate any conversation. They quietly listened to the lesson and then silently worked on the homework questions separately. Inuyasha chewed on the eraser of his pencil in frustration when many of the concepts made little to no sense to him and he was tempted to bug Kagome in order to get it off his mind, but one look at her pensive and concentrated face made him think better of it. She'd probably just yell at him and go completely silent again anyways.

After another agonizing fifteen minutes, the bell rang and Inuyasha headed to his next class, Ancient History. No one he knew was in the class and so like always, he sat by himself in the back right corner. He quietly attended the lesson; that was to say, he fell asleep halfway through and slumbered the period away, dreaming about ancient Greek and Roman warriors.

The bell rang, jolting him awake, and he immediately went to stuff his books in his locker, buy a cup of hot noodles from the cafeteria, and head outside to his favourite tree. Miroku and Sango came out soon after and Inuyasha listened disinterestedly to their usual lunch time banter. Miroku, as expected, felt Sango up a few times, she slapped him equally as many times, perhaps even more, and Inuyasha stayed silent while rolling his eyes and resisting the urge to smack the black–haired boy himself.

Five minutes before the end of the period, the three reluctantly gathered their things and started back towards the school. Once inside, they parted ways and Inuyasha once again made his way towards his locker. Grabbing some homework that needed his attention, he pushed his way through the crowded hallways in order to reach his MSP classroom where he knew Kagome would be sitting, waiting.

He sat down at his regular desk in time for the bell to ring, and silently began to work on his assigned homework. After about twenty minutes, he had finished up as much as he could understand and began gazing disinterestedly around the room. From the looks of it, Kagome had abandoned her work too, and was sitting straight up in her chair, staring blankly at, or more like through, the desk before her. He couldn't see her entire face, but her hands were gripping the wood of the desk so tightly, her knuckles had gone white and after a moment, Inuyasha could detect her ragged breathing. He titled his head in curiosity and swivelled his ears completely forward so as to pick up the uneven beating and fluttering of her heartbeat.

As if in a trance, Kagome whispered a few words brokenly, "No...don't... Not again..." Inuyasha winced as his overly sensitive ears picked up the harsh sound of Kagome's fingernails scraping forcefully along the surface of her desk. Seeing as the girl who normally sat in the desk beside Kagome was absent for the day, Inuyasha took the opportunity to move up a row and turn towards the now shaking girl. She took no notice of his movement and instead, her face contorted with raw emotion as she stared unseeing in front of her.

Her apparent emotional distress finally became too much for Inuyasha and with a slight snarl, he reached out and nudged her shoulder gently. "Hey, girl! Snap out of it!"

With a jerk, Kagome seemed to come back to herself and upon seeing Inuyasha's face, she let out a shocked gasp. Just as quickly, though, and much to Inuyasha's confusion, her eyes seemed to clear once again and she shook her head at herself, as if she'd been imaging things. "Oh...! Uh...Inuyasha! What...do you want...?" she asked nervously, trying to control her uneven breathing while holding one hand in the other and trying to suppress its shaking.

Inuyasha gave her an incredulous look. "What do you _think_ I want? What the hell was that?"

"Um...what was what?" Kagome asked, feigning indifference. "I was just doing my work here, see–" She jumped as one of Inuyasha's palms smacked down on her desk.

"_Don't_ give me that crap!" he whispered fiercely. He gave her a suspicious look. "What're you hidin'?"

Kagome flipped her hair over her shoulder and picked up her abandoned pencil. "I'm not hiding anything, Inuyasha. And I don't appreciate getting molested while trying to do my homework."

"Molested!" Inuyasha protested. "Why you–! And homework? Keh! As if I'd buy that!"

Kagome voice suddenly turned to a dangerous whisper as she fixed him with a piercing glare. "Look, just drop it, okay? It's none of your business."

Inuyasha raised an eyebrow at this. Giving a pointed look down at her desk, he said, "Well, if it's not my business, it's certainly the school's when you're scratching gashes in its desks."

Kagome looked down and indeed saw that her fingernails had scraped light scratches along her desk's surface. Flushing slightly, she looked at her fingernails and realized that there were splinters of soft wood bunched up beneath them. Thankfully, none of them had pierced her skin and she began cleaning them out with a slight, "Oh..."

"So?" Inuyasha pressed after a moment of silence. "What was that?"

"Just... It was nothing. Will you let it go?" Kagome snapped, irately scraping under her fingernails.

"No, I don't think I will. You have freaking desk shavings under your fingernails and you're chalk white. That's not usually a normal reaction from working on–" Inuyasha glanced down at the papers on her desk, "–trigonometry homework."

Kagome picked out the last of the splinters and fixed the silver–haired boy with a heated glare. "Why do you even care so much? I thought the last thing you ever wanted was to have extended contact with me!"

Inuyasha was stuck for a moment on this. It was true that he oftentimes admitted to her _and_ himself, for reassurance more than anything else, that he hated her and wanted to have nothing to do with her. So why was he so insistent about this? "Keh," he scoffed, trying to think of a way he could reverse the discomfort and pin her down again. "You're just trying to avoid the question."

"And you shouldn't have even cared enough to _ask_ that question," Kagome refuted. "So stop believing I'm going to tell you something, because I won't. You missed the 'let's give a shit about Kagome' train a while back so don't try hopping on it now!" Her features had darkened, and she was only dimly aware that by now, most of the MSP class was paying attention to the arguing pair.

Inuyasha was slightly taken aback, seeing it was the first time he'd heard Kagome use truly harsh language, but he was quick to recover. "We're not back to the whole self pity crap again, are we?"

Kagome fumed. "I _do not_ feel sorry for myself!" she practically retorted.

"What–bawling your eyes out in the middle of the night is your way of making peace with the world?" Inuyasha asked sceptically.

Kagome's breath hitched a little in her throat as her anger mounted. Fisting and flexing her hands repeatedly, she stood up and glared down at Inuyasha. "Don't you _dare_ bring that up!"

Inuyasha's anger rose as well and he stood up as well so as not to be at a disadvantage. "What; because it's 'too much to _bear_' to bring it up yourself? It's just so damn painful that you'd rather go around, keeping it to yourself so it can eat you from the inside out instead of finding some help and getting on with your life? Is that it? You're having too much fun playing the chick in distress that you can't realize it's getting old and let it go?"

Kagome stepped back as if slapped. Then, just as abruptly, her features clouded over once again and she stepped forward once more. "How_ DARE_ you! You think you know me and understand what I've been through? And accuse me of having problems? You, _you_ accuse _me_ of having problems? Ha, that's a laugh!" Inuyasha opened his mouth to respond, but Kagome kept going in a sardonic tone. "Yes, that's right, Inuyasha, I _enjoy_ every minute of my life; reliving things from my past. In fact, that's how I get my weekend kicks, you know? I find a nice dark corner somewhere and stare at the wall, brooding and wallowing in my self–pity and misery. It's really oh so much fun! You should try it sometime; I think there's another corner empty in that same room, in fact."

"Kagome–" the MSP teacher spoke up, finally deciding that the argument had taken a decidedly sour turn.

But Kagome wasn't finished yet. "You know what your problem is, Inuyasha? You're so angry and confused about what's happened to _you_ that you're willing to lash out at anybody who even _looks_ at you the wrong way! Maybe before you try to tell me what's wrong with _me_, you should figure out how to get yourself fixed. Because, like it or not, _I_'m not responsible for your past and I'll thank you to not comment on _mine_ based on harsher elements of _yours_. Your past may not be cheery and happy, but you know absolutely nothing of mine. And let me tell you, what you've been through? It's _nothing_ compared to what I have."

Kagome stood there for a few moments, breathing hard, before realising what she had just said. Eyes widening, she clapped a hand to her mouth in shock of her own insensitivity. As Inuyasha's expression slowly turned from shock to barely controlled anger, Kagome reached out a hand in a placating gesture before abruptly spinning and running out of the classroom.

"Kagome!" the teacher called after her. When the girl didn't return, the teacher shook her head before turning back just in time to see Inuyasha looking about to punch something or someone. "Inuyasha, calm down. I'm sure she didn't mean it to sound that way," the teacher said, almost pleadingly. "Just...take your seat and try to sit quietly through the rest of the period."

"Like hell," Inuyasha snarled. "She's gonna pay for saying what she said!"

"Inuyasha–" the teacher started, but cut off when Inuyasha ignored her and headed straight for the door, fists balled and his long silver hair flowing in his wake. With another shake of her head, the teacher sank back down in her chair and held her head for a minute. When she looked up again, all of the other kids were either staring at her, or whispering amongst themselves about the newest disturbance. Scowling, she barked, "Continue working until the end of the period! In silence!"

..:V:..

Inuyasha stormed angrily out of the MSP classroom and looked left and right to see which way the fleeing girl had gone. Seeing no one, he raised his nose in the air and sniffed a few times, drawing in her scent. Letting out a low growl in his throat, he turned abruptly to his right. Following the scent, he made his way down the hallway and out the doors that led to the back part of the school campus.

He saw "the tree" straight ahead, and a figure huddled beneath it. Once he had crossed half the distance between them, the figure lifted her head and spotted him; but she made no move to flee again. Instead, she lowered her head back into her arms again and waited for Inuyasha to reach her.

As Inuyasha came upon her, golden eyes boring into her head, her shoulders slumped and she muttered in a muffled voice, "Say it. Go on. Just say it."

Inuyasha stopped before her and took a few deep breaths as if not trying to give in to her command. After the third one, however, he burst out, "Bitch! You little bitch! Where do you get off saying things like that?"

Kagome let out a ragged breath and lifted her head so her eyes could meet Inuyasha's. "I...I didn't mean to... I was just so caught up...and so _angry_. You said some pretty horrible things too, you know! You don't know what's happened in my life..."

"And you don't know what's happened in mine!" Inuyasha snarled from above her.

Kagome cast her head to the side and gazed down at the fall leaves, feeling a bit ashamed. "I...I know some of your past..." she whispered.

Inuyasha leaned in slightly. "What was that?"

"I...I went to the library last weekend... I read through some old articles. I...read about what happened to you and your family five years ago..." Kagome said quietly, wincing as she turned her eyes back up to meet those of the boy in front of her.

Inuyasha's expression turned from anger into shock, into sorrow, and then into a myriad of emotions that were indiscernible to Kagome. "You...did what...?" Inuyasha asked in a strangled voice.

Kagome shrank away slightly. "You...you heard me. I...was curious. You kept hinting at something that happened to you five years ago so I... I went to check if it was in any old newspaper articles in the city library. Needless to say...it was."

Inuyasha tried valiantly to pull his emotions under control as he said delicately, "I see."

"You're...you're not even more mad at me now...are you?" Kagome asked hesitantly.

Ignoring her question, Inuyasha chose to flop down on the grass beside her and look up at the sky. "So knowing some of my past, you still think it's nothing and meaningless?"

Kagome's eyes widened and she shook her head emphatically. "No, no! I told you, I didn't mean what I said back there. I was a...bitch, like you said. It...it just came out. I'm...I'm so sorry..."

"'_Sorry_' won't erase your words," Inuyasha said pointedly.

"No..." Kagome said, plucking a strand of grass and beginning to toy with it. "But I was hoping it would take the meaning and sting out of them. Because words without meaning are just words. And that's all they were. Please believe me," she finished, turning to look at Inuyasha imploringly.

"Hmph," Inuyasha said, leaning back against the trunk of "the tree". "Why do you care if I'm mad at you or not? It's not like you've cared before now."

Kagome's gaze slid back to the grass in her hands. "I dunno..."

"And what'd you hope to gain by going behind my back and reading those articles anyway?" Inuyasha pressed.

"I dunno..." Kagome muttered.

"You don't know a lot, do you?" Inuyasha snapped. After a moment of silence, he asked awkwardly, "What'd they say, anyway?"

Kagome gave him a startled look. "You mean you haven't seen them?"

Inuyasha glared at her out of the corner of his eye. "What do _you_ think? I was in a coma, remember?"

"Well, yeah, but didn't you see them when you woke up?" Kagome asked, confused.

Inuyasha raised an eyebrow. "By the time I woke up, the newspapers were a _little _outdated. I only woke up at the beginning of the year."

"What; this year?" Kagome practically screeched, fully turning her body to face him.

Inuyasha jumped and covered his sensitive ears as he nodded with a wince. "They didn't talk about that, huh?"

"I only read some articles from five years ago... They talked about what...the police found that night... I never got to check on any more recent articles. You...you were in that coma for five years...?"

"Heh; yeah," Inuyasha responded despondently as he picked up and broke a few twigs that were lying on the ground. "Kinda funny, right? And once I woke up, I got shoved into the custody of my older, hated brother who tried to cram three years of missed education into my recovering head in the space of six months. That was a load of fun, I'll tell ya. I'd do it again in a flash." Inuyasha let out a hollow laugh.

Kagome's startled look turned to one of worry. "Inuyasha..."

"What?" Inuyasha asked, turning to her with mirth in his eyes. "Why aren't you laughing? Don't you find it funny?"

Kagome narrowed her eyes. "Not really, no. I don't find it funny at all. Why do you?"

"Well, think about it." Inuyasha continued in the same cheerful tone. "One night you get tucked in as a twelve year old and when you wake up, it's five years later, you're seventeen, the world's gone on without you, your parents are dead, and their murderer is still out there somewhere...! Funny...right...?" Inuyasha's voice started to fade near the end of his words and then his shoulders slumped in defeat. "Absolutely hilarious..." he mocked himself.

Kagome thought of sympathizing with him, but reconsidered that it might have a more negative effect than positive one. Instead, she asked in curiosity, "The...murderer is still out there...? Didn't you identify the person when you woke up?"

Inuyasha balled his hand into a fist so tight, his knuckles turned white. "That's the best part, you see. I can't identify the murderer. I have no idea who it is!"

Kagome's eyes widened. "Inuyasha...what are you saying...?"

"...I can't remember a thing about that night," Inuyasha said quietly.

Kagome's expression turned into one of shock. "You have amnesia?"

"Well...just of that day. The last thing I remember before I woke up from that coma is going to bed the day before it happened. So whatever I witnessed that night, whoever I saw that the murderer was...is absolutely useless! I lose my memory and the killer gets away scot-free! So much for everyone's hope..."

A flash of insight came to Kagome and she suddenly reached out a hand to lay on Inuyasha's shoulder. "Inuyasha...it's not your fault."

Inuyasha turned his head to look at her, startled. But no sooner then his eyes met hers, he shrugged off her hand and looked away. "Keh; what do you know? 'Course it's not my fault. I'm not that stupid."

Kagome opened her mouth to argue, but decided against it at the last moment. Taking her hand back and cradling it in her lap, she nodded. "Right, right. Of course you're not. It was stupid of me to even suggest it."

Inuyasha nodded absently and the two of them lapsed into silence. Fallen leaves blew around them in the autumn breeze and the sun did nothing to avail the chill that accompanied them. Inuyasha sighed and raked a hand through his silver locks as his thoughts tumbled around inside his head. What made him start admitting all that stuff to Kagome? Ten minutes earlier, they were having a heated argument. Now they were chatting idly about his hardships? What was the matter with him? Why would he ever talk about _that_ with anyone; and Kagome of all people? He was such an idiot! If she ever tried to use it against him...

"I _don't_ know what you're feeling going through this right now," Kagome broke through his thoughts. "And I'm not going to presume to know. But I do know how I felt going through horrible situations like yours..."

Inuyasha raised an eyebrow in curiosity, but wisely said nothing. Taking a quick glance at the girl beside him, he noticed she was staring distantly out over the school and to the sky.

"I was so happy as a kid. I had everything I could have possibly wanted. A wonderful mother, an adoring father...and by the time I was six, a new baby brother. Life, it seemed to me, couldn't get any better. Turns out I was right. It never got better. If fact, it started getting steadily worse.

"Somehow, though I _was_ only six years old, I remember this one night perfectly clearly. It's something I'll never forget as long as I live. I had been tucked into bed by my parents as usual, and my nightlight was burning as I snuggled down and fell deeply asleep. But halfway through the night, my mother slipped back into my room with my baby brother. She gently shook me awake and bade me to be quiet. When I tried to ask what was going on, she shushed me and told me that there was a dangerous stranger in the house. My father had called the police and then had gone down to confront the person. My mother said it was a burglar and that we had to be quiet or else he would know we were there. She held Souta and I close and protectively. I can still remember the warmth of her hug..." Kagome sighed wistfully.

By this time, Inuyasha was quite taken aback. He never expected she would open up this much to him, especially since he hadn't even brought it up. He made a noncommital sound, hoping it sounded like encouragement to continue.

Kagome squeezed her eyes shut. "We heard...my dad's voice surprising the burglar, and the burglar's startled exclamation. Then...there was a slight scuffling noise...and...and...two shots rang out." Kagome hung her head for a moment, before resolutely raising it again and continuing on. "My mother was beside herself. She pushed Souta into my arms and told me to stay still as she ran out of the room. I heard her go downstairs and by about the time she reached the bottom step, I couldn't take it anymore. I ran with Souta out into the hallway. Looking through the rungs of the top level railing, I saw my dad on the ground, lying still. I raised my gaze just in time to see my mother rushing towards him before...before the stranger raised his gun and fired once more. My mother crumpled to the ground beside my father and...and their blood...their blood–" Kagome's voice caught and she struggled to suppress her emotions in order to continue. "Their blood mixed together and as I watched, that...that _bastard_ started chuckling. Then he grabbed his pilfered loot and took off without noticing Soutaor I.

"The police came soon thereafter, but it was too late. Our parents were dead. They didn't have any trackable relations and they had never appointed godparents for us, so there was no other option than to ship Souta and I off to an orphanage. Souta was only an infant when it happened, and wasn't even really alert to the world, but _I_ knew. I cried for weeks, months. It's never left me, even. And nobody wanted to adopt a scarred child like me. And I wouldn't let Souta be adopted without me. He was the only thing I had left. Not that I really wanted to be adopted, anyway. Nobody could replace my perfect parents and I didn't want anyone to try. So we grew up there. A couple months after we started living there, the police caught the burglar. I had to be called in as an eye witness andwith the help ofmy identification, he was locked up for fifteen years to life. I should have felt satisfied, resolved, clean, anything. But I felt nothing." Kagome's voice was flat, despondent, and unemotional.

Inuyasha swallowed thickly and searched for words. "I...I had no idea..."

Kagome glared at him out of the corner of her eye. "'Course you didn't," she snapped. "I've never told anyone except Souta. And I doubt you read the article on it in our local paper. I don't know why I'm bothering telling you now. I guess it's because I owe you for telling me about yourself."

"Keh, as long as you don't blab to anybody about it, you don't owe me anything," Inuyasha said gruffly, crossing his arms.

Kagome's gaze softened and she shrugged. "Even so... It might be refreshing for someone to know my story, told from my side. For someone else to know the truth, instead of rumours..." _Even though I'm not saying anything about my visions_, Kagome thought to herself. _He'd think me crazy for sure, then. And if he thinks my witnessing the murder of my parents bad, what would he think if he knew that I had been having nightmares and visions about that night since three months prior?_

"Everyone knows my story already," Inuyasha replied, unfolding his arms and draping them across his propped up knees. "It was _only_ broadcasted in every newspaper, on every news station. And all because my father was the owner of a huge computer business, Western Enterprises. I'm almost glad I got put in a coma since it meant I got to avoid the press. Reporters of course bombarded me about the whole thing when I woke up, but I doubt it was as bad as it would've been back then."

"Press is a thorn in the side," Kagome agreed. "It was annoying and a little scary when they started bombarding me about my parents' death, but it got worse the second time..."

"The second time?" Inuyasha asked, unable to help himself.

Kagome sighed and looked down at her clenched hands. "As I said, Souta and I grew up in the orphanage. I still continued to attend school, and with the help of the friendly kids there, I soon began to recover from the trauma. I made some friends, and I met this one girl, Kikyo, when I was ten. She and I were a lot alike. We even looked somewhat similar. She wasn't my best friend, but she was a good one. We hung out a few times, and I could always rely on her as a project partner.

"But one day when I was walking from school back to the orphanage, Kikyo spotted me from across the street. She called my name and waved. I waved back and smiled. She told me to wait there, that she'd come on over. So I stayed where I was and waited for her to make sure the road was clear. Once no cars were coming, she started to cross. She wasn't five feet away from me when a car screamed around the corner next to me and...and...hit Kikyo full force. I...couldn't believe my eyes. I was left standing there in shock, sprayed with her blood. When my mind started up again, I ran over to her, right in front of where the car had screeched to a halt. She tried to say something to me, but she died in my arms before she had the chance..." Kagome took a few deep breaths as she remembered the experience. "The _people_ in the car turned out to be drunken teenagers celebrating the end of their first year in university. I think they were charged with some jail time, but I never pursued it. I was trying to get over the second brutal death I'd witnessed." _And foreseen_, Kagome added silently.

Inuyasha was speechless. _No wonder she acts so weird and defensive..._ he thought to himself. "Uh... That must have been terrible," he said dumbly.

"Not exactly the best time of my life," Kagome agreed. "Though Kikyo wasn't as close to me as my parents were, it still hurt. She was one of the girls who was friendly and helped me deal with the death of my parents. Having her die as well was kind of like a sign. Like I _shouldn't_ be recovering from the trauma. Needless to say, I reverted back to the emotional state I was in after my parents' death and any sense of recovery had vanished. I pushed everyone away except for my brother and they all soon gave up in trying to help me. Except for one boy." Kagome smiled faintly. "His name was Hojo, and he was the friendliest, most cheerful boy I've ever met. He'd bring me a gift every morning and he smiled whenever I scowled. He wasn't trying to ignore or disrespect what I'd been through, but rather just wanted me to be happy. At first I refused all of his gifts, shoving them away, and sometimes breaking them when I became frustrated. I thought he was the densest boy in the world. But it turned out he was one of the most insightful ones.

"After a while, I began taking his gifts silently, hoping he'd give up if I said nothing. Instead, he started inviting me to hang out with him and his friends. I refused at first, but soon took him up on his offer. We got to talking on a few occasions and found we had a lot in common. He helped draw me out of my shell and we became progressively closer. After a year, we were the best of friends. Nothing could separate us. My friendship with him made me really believe that I could get over the deaths of my parents and Kikyo. There was just something about him..." Kagome said, eyes shining.

Inuyasha began to get an uneasy feeling. "You keep saying 'was'. Did something happen to him too?"

The slight smile fell from Kagome's lips and she turned her head and layed it on her folded arms resting on her propped up knees. She searched Inuyasha's golden eyes with her own for a few moments before speaking up again. "Yeah. Yeah, something happened to him. Something awful." A single tear leaked out of the corner of her eye, but she brushed it away angrily, refusing to cry this one time.

"It happened two years ago, when we were thirteen. Hojo and I had gone to the mall on a Friday night to hang out and eat. His house and the orphanage weren't too far away, so we decided to walk home. As always, he insisted on making sure I was home safely before he went back to his house. During the day, we often used these certain alleyways between the buildings as short cuts to different parts of the neighbourhood. It was cold out that night and, wanting to get back to the orphanage quickly, I suggested we use the alleyways," Kagome explained, her expression one of immense guilt and regret. "While...while we were walking through them...a–a gang jumped us. They demanded for us to hand over all of our money, but we only had a few coins left. Hojo threw down what we had, but they weren't satisfied. They–" Kagome's voice caught, "–They came after us with knives and Hojo–he...he stood in front of me and protected me as they...as they..." Kagome swallowed multiple times in hopes of dislodging the lump in her throat. "As they...stabbed him to death."

Inuyasha was stupefied. What kind of hell had this girl lived?

Kagome closed her eyes and breathed deeply until she regained what little she had lost of her composure. Opening her eyes again, she finished, "Some citizen had heard Hojo and I's screaming and must have phoned the police because they came just in time for my life to be spared. But I didn't deserve to be spared... If it wasn't for me, we would have taken the safe way home and Hojo would still be with me today..." Kagome cast her head to the side in shame.

Despite himself, Inuyasha's heart went out to the girl beside him, looking so lost and distraught. Reaching out a hand to gently rest on her shoulder, he said quietly, "Kagome... You couldn't have possibly have known..."

Kagome eyes squeezed shut as if he'd just slapped her. _Couldn't I have?_ she thought bitterly. _I knew only too well, and yet I still didn't realize it until it was too late... God, Hojo, I'm so sorry..._

Turning back to Inuyasha, Kagome said sadly, "I _should've_ known, though. I should've–"

"And I _should_ remember what happened the night my parents were murdered," Inuyasha cut in. "But I don't. You told me it wasn't my fault, therefore you not knowing the alleyway wasn't safe isn't your fault. Got it?"

_Oh, Inuyasha, if only you could understand..._ Smiling faintly, Kagome responded, "I'll try to keep that in mind, though I don't think it'll make it hurt any less."

Awkwardly, Inuyasha moved his hand from her shoulder so that he could wrap his arm around both her shoulders and give her a comforting hug. "Guess we're both screwed up delinquents, huh?" he said jokingly.

Kagome sighed and relaxed slightly in Inuyasha's warmth. "Yeah, I guess so..."

Inuyasha hesitated before saying, "For what it's worth...I'm sorry."

"Heh. Why would you be sorry?" Kagome asked. "You didn't kill them." She winced at her own bluntness.

"Okay..." Inuyasha replied. "Then I'm sorry for being such an asshole earlier."

Kagome giggled. "Yeah... I think we got off to the wrong start..."

"Just slightly," Inuyasha agreed genially. "You know, I hated you twenty minutes ago."

"Don't tell me you like me now?" Kagome joked. It felt like a great burden had been lifted off her shoulders when she had finally imparted her past to someone other than her brother, and she was feeling slightly giddy as a result.

"Nah, not a chance," Inuyasha replied promptly. "I just...understand you better now, I guess. But don't expect me to be all nice to you or something from now on."

"Why would I?" Kagome retorted. "And like you could be nice anyway."

Inuyasha thought about this for a moment before conceding. "Yeah, you're right. I don't have a nice bone in my body."

Kagome snorted. "I'll believe it more when you don't have a comforting arm around me."

Inuyasha shot her a mock glare. "Shut up, you."

..:V:..

Miroku hummed a tune to himself as he sauntered down the hallway beside Sango. With their books in hand, they were headed for their next class; Philosophy. Miroku glanced out the window as they walked and soon did a double take, stopping dead in his tracks.

"Miroku?" Sango asked questioningly.

"Sango... C'mere a minute," Miroku bade, unable to tear his eyes from the sight before him. "Would you look at that..."

In confusion, Sango came up beside the stupefied boy and glanced out the window as well. Seeing Inuyasha half–hugging Kagome under the Tree, she gasped in surprise. But her expression soon turned to one of hurt. "I'm swear I'm not jealous, but how come Kagome won't let me be her friend, and yet she's perfectly fine being and talking with Inuyasha? What does he have that I don't?" she asked beseechingly.

Miroku sighed and placed a placating hand on Sango's shoulder. "Testosterone," he replied sagely.

"Eh...?" Sango stuttered in surprise.

"Testosterone," Miroku repeated. "It's known to work wonders on many a female and sadly, my dear Sango, in that department, you a sorely lacking."

"Can't you be serious this once?" Sango replied indignantly.

"I don't think it's in the cards today," Miroku answered apologetically. "Well, then. Shall we carry on? Philosophy's awaiting!"

"You're impossible," Sango said, shaking her head.

"And devious," Miroku supplied. "Remember, a compromising scene one day provides for plenty ammunition another."

"Hmm..." Sango said in realization. "I see where you're going with that. And I must say, I like that philosophy."

"Isn't it great? They should make a statue of me," Miroku said grandly.

"Dream on," Sango responded, rolling her eyes.

"Only of you," Miroku quipped.

"Get moving to class, pervert," Sango snapped angrily, though she couldn't manage to completely conceal her blush.

"But of course, fair lady," Miroku conceded. He bowed low and then straightened before marching off in the direction of their class.

Taking one last look at Inuyasha and Kagome outside, Sango grinned and trudged after her companion.

* * *

A/N I know I'm not forgiven, but...was it good? Crap? Are you a little less confused now? This thing is about twelve pages long so I hope that makes up for something... I just dumped some more angsty stuff on you, but there was somewhat of a light–hearted tone at the end, right?

And by the way, sorry to those of you who like the angst and get frustrated when I keep thinking I've added too much. Let me tell you, it takes A LOT longer to write a chapter than to read it. So if the chapter's mainly angst, and I've been at this a while, there seems to me to be a ton more angst than there actually is. It's a perception thing. I'll just stop whining and let you guys tell me if it's any good or notfrom now on.

Oh, and really, I have no clue about the next update. I have to go work on King of the Hill now, but I'm going to try doing some steady writing so cross your fingers. I can't make any promises because this last year of high school is very hectic and I'm not sure which way is up or which way is down right now. But until next time, ciao!


	9. A Narrow Escape

Disclaimer: I tried to claim him...but then Takahashi's lawyers stepped in... Needless to say, it ended badly...

A/N ...Yes. I've updated. I know. Long, long, long, insanely long time, no see. I only have sparse reasons. To keep it brief, school work until summer, chores and relaxing time (so sue me) during the summer, and adjustment plus reality check and wake up call at the beginning of the school year (first year university - see my bio for further details). So yes. This is an update. Thine eyes dost not deceive you. And I'm incredibly sorry for the wait.

On a happier note, In the Shadows is now also a year old (and only nine chapters - what's wrong with me?)! So yeah! Happy belated birthday to the not-so-happy story! Whoo!

Also, it's surpassed 100 reviews! Again, yay! Congrats to minaosu for being my one hundredth reviewer!

ChristyKay, lol, I didn't feel like you were criticizing me at all. I realize she's out of character (intentionally) and hopefully that will change as Inuyasha draws her out. Thanks for your understanding and your compliments. :)

Child of the Silvery Moon, I was shocked to know my writing touched you that much. :D But it shows that it's working! To know a reader responded in such a way is a huge compliment in a way words fail. Thank _you_!

Okay, Away Now, I have not decided on any fixed location (bad, bad author! –smacks hand–), but the story takes part somewhere in Canada. Actually, if I give the city a name, it'll probably be fictional 'cause that's how I do things. But I do it in Canada because I know and understand Canada more than anywhere. I have a very great reservation about writing the story in Japan when I know next to nothing about their cultures and customs. It would be an insult. So yes. Story's somewhere in Canada. The lower half. Hope that helps somewhat... (Kagome's parents' killer is still in jail. I don't hate or bash Kikyo either, I just hate her role – get in the way of Kagome and Inuyasha's relationship. So I don't usually go for that role for her in my fics...)

Lauren...where are you?

Ame Mizu...thanks for the awesome poem! You're right, it describes Kagome so well! I really appreciated it!

Angel In existence, I'm deeply sorry about your mother. I hope she lived a happy and fulfilling life. And I'm glad you could relate to my story; I haven't been on the receiving end of such intense feelings before and so I'm happy to know that I'm describing them accurately.

Midoriko-sama, THANK YOU so much for the constructive criticism! Lol, everyone's probably surprised that I'd want criticism of all things, but it's one thing I really do want! I've taken your words into consideration and I attempted to add some more detail to this chapter. Please tell me what you think! And thanks for the compliments!

Lunar rainbow... No, the sit command will not be in here. I don't think there's any original and plausible reason to put it in and I think it's quite unnecessary in this story. Shippo and Kouga will most likely have recurring cameos, but not too much more, I don't think. And I haven't decided about Kouga and Kagome.

Kealilah...ahahahahahaha... As I told you earlier, Inuyasha went through puberty while in the coma, since you're just DYING to know. Guys go through puberty later than girls and so Inuyasha got to skip the joys of it as he stayed in his coma. Went to bed a boy...woke up a young man. Bit of a shock, eh? And by the way...by the terms of our latest agreement...I WIN! HA! I finished my Harry Potter ending, AND this chapter...and you probably haven't even started your next chapter. ...It feels like a hollow victory. But you'll tell me anyways, right? –puppy dog eyes–

Okay...the biggest author's note this story has ever known. But I really felt like responding to you guys and plus; I'm so gracious for all your reviews! They mean so much to me and it's just so overwhelming to me that you're all enjoying it so much. Your compliments are so kind and I'll just try to keep up the good work! Starting with this seventeen page long chapter! The longest yet...and my favourite so far...enjoy!

* * *

"Sooo, Inuyasha..." Miroku started with a hint of suggestion in his tone. "About that hug you and Kagome were sharing yesterday..." 

"Don't go there," Inuyasha warned.

The two boys were lounging in Inuyasha's shared room that Saturday afternoon; Souta had gone out with some friends of his own to play soccer. Inuyasha was presently lying on his bed sideways; his feet up against the wall and his head hanging over the side, hair dangling down to the floor. Miroku sat across from him at his friend's desk, one leg flung over the arm of the swivel chair that he had claimed upon entering the room. The two of them had quite opposite expressions upon their faces – Inuyasha's was guarded and defensive whereas Miroku's was amused and devious.

"You want me to drop it so easily?" Miroku asked in mock shock. "But it really looked like you two were making progress!"

"And what kind of progress would that be?" Inuyasha growled threateningly.

"Progress on getting her to come out of her little friendless bubble, of course," Miroku responded as if it were obvious. "But–my, my, Inuyasha! Were you thinking of a different kind of progress perhaps? One of the more...romantic persuasion?"

Inuyasha rolled his eyes. "Oh, please. You're not going to try that on me again, are you? A hug doesn't mean anything special. Stop having delusions."

"Okay, fine," Miroku said loftily. "I'll drop it then."

Inuyasha sighed and swept a hand across his eyes. "Thank you!"

"You're perfectly welcome." Despite Miroku's words, a knowing and slightly amused look remained on his face.

Inuyasha glared across at his friend who, from his perspective, was upside down. "If you're serious and gonna drop it, get that look off your face!"

"What look, my dear friend?" Miroku asked, the epitome of innocence.

"That look that says that you think that I think of that girl as more than just a friend!" Inuyasha said with a scowl.

Miroku smiled, taking this statement as permission to talk on the subject. "Well...seeing the two of you out there yesterday, one may presume to think..."

"Think what?" Inuyasha asked dangerously, pulling himself up onto his bed and turning around to face Miroku properly. "How could anyone think of that hug as anything more than a friendly gesture? Which it even wasn't!"

"Aha! Then it _was_ a romantic gesture?" Miroku interjected, his eyes alight.

Inuyasha gaped then hastened to explain. "No! It wasn't a friendly gesture _or_ a romantic gesture! It was nothing! I–I just happened to slip! And–"

"Her shoulders were coated with super glue?" Miroku cut in sardonically. "As...likely as that story sounds, somehow I don't think it'll fly."

Inuyasha's mouth snapped shut and he crossed his arms in a sulk. "I'm not talking to you anymore; you twist my words around and make me sound like an idiot."

Miroku chuckled as Inuyasha sounded more like the twelve year old boy he was before his coma. "They're _your_ words," he said.

"But it's _your_ twisted mind," Inuyasha pointed out.

Inuyasha glared into Miroku's innocent smile for a few moments before the door of the dorm opened and they turned to appraise the new arrival. As it was, Kagome stood in the door, glancing at each of them before quickly checking the rest of the room.

"Ah, Kagome!" Miroku greeted her as if there were no previous unpleasantness between them. Inuyasha quickly shot him a look that clearly warned him not to bring up any point of their recent discussion to her. "What brings you here?" The implication was obvious in his voice that he believed she had come seeking Inuyasha's company.

Kagome looked at the mischievous boy distractedly. "Ah...I came here looking for Souta... Do you guys know where he is?"

"Souta?" Miroku's knowing expression slipped clear off his face.

"Yeah," Kagome replied somewhat impatiently. "My brother."

Inuyasha barely held in a chuckle at the boy's dumbfounded expression. "Oh, yeah... Did I forget to mention that her brother's my roommate?"

To Inuyasha's surprise and chagrin, however, Miroku's expression soon grew confident again. "Whew...for a minute there, I thought you had competition," the black-haired boy said.

Luckily for Inuyasha, Kagome was too distracted to really pay attention to the implications of Miroku's words. On the other hand, Inuyasha was still stuck knowing the implications himself. Growling, he attempted to intensify his previous glare at Miroku before answering Kagome's inquiry.

"Keh... Souta went out to play soccer with his friends or something. He asked me to tell you that if you came by."

Kagome turned to look at him. "Oh..."

Inuyasha gave her a questioning look. "Did you need him for something important?"

Kagome sighed and came into the room, going over and sitting beside Inuyasha on his bed. "Not really... I just haven't hung out with him for a bit..."

"Well, you're always welcome to hang out with us, my dear lady," Miroku said with an inviting smile.

Kagome gave him an uncertain look, remembering her past reserve. "Um...I dunno..."

"Ehn, what else do you have to do on a Saturday at a stinking boarding school?" Inuyasha asked her, gracing her with a lazy smile.

Kagome smiled back tentatively . "Well...I suppose... But are you guys even doing anything?"

"Funny that you ask..." Miroku began.

"No, not really anything," Inuyasha broke in hastily. "Just...tutoring stuff. But we're done now." Miroku smirked.

"Ah," Kagome said. "Well...I guess I could stay for a little bit, then..."

After a few moments of silence, Inuyasha spoke up again. "So...what _are_ we going to do?"

Miroku glanced around briefly before his eyes landed on an object on Inuyasha's desk. Picking it up, he turned to the other two. "Cards?" he asked, showing off the packet.

Inuyasha shrugged. "Sounds about as good as anything."

"Yeah, okay," Kagome agreed, still slightly nervous about the whole situation.

As Miroku began dealing the cards out for their game of choice, Crazy Eights, he decided to speak up again. "So...you know what tomorrow is?"

Inuyasha raised his eyebrow. "Uh...Sunday?" he asked.

Miroku rolled his eyes. "Yes, _that_. But also; October thirty-first! Halloween!"

"Oh, _goodie_," Inuyasha oozed sarcastically. "Going out in a costume to trick-or-treat, Miroku?"

Miroku sighed and shook his head. "Actually, I was thinking more about going to the Halloween dance tomorrow night. Have you guys even heard of it?"

Kagome and Inuyasha looked at each other blankly before looking back at Miroku. Neither said anything. In response, Miroku gaped at them. "Do you guys walk around the school blindfolded and with ear plugs in? Everybody's talking about it and there are posters up all around the school!"

Kagome and Inuyasha still remained unmoved. "Yeah...I don't pay much attention to those things..." Inuyasha ventured. "I really have other things to concern myself with."

Kagome nodded. "Me too."

Miroku looked at each of them skeptically. "But now that you know...you guys are coming, aren't you?"

Without looking up from their cards, the pair shook their heads. "Nah..." Inuyasha shrugged.

"Yeah, not really..." Kagome agreed, placing a card on the pile in front of her.

"Oh, come on!" Miroku urged, placing his own cards down, two jacks that caused Inuyasha and Kagome to miss their turns. "You two _have_ to go! Besides..." A sly twinkle came into his eye. "What will the student body think if you don't...?"

Inuyasha and Kagome both looked up with equally confused expressions. "Somehow, I don't think they'll even notice..." Inuyasha said slowly.

"Oh, I'm not so sure..." Miroku said in a knowing voice, eyeing the cards in his hand thoughtfully.

Inuyasha let out a frustrated sigh. "What are getting at _now_, Miroku?"

Miroku hovered his free hand over his cards as if trying to decided which card to pick to play. "Well, you see... With that...lovely display yesterday... You know; the hug between the two of you and all..." Two identical and awkward coughs met his words. Hiding a grin, Miroku continued. "If neither of you showed up at the dance tomorrow night, some might be led to believe that you're off alone together. You know...stirring up some feelings and attractions and crushes and generally getting better 'acquainted' all around. You wouldn't actually want anybody to suspect there to be a romantic relationship amongst your innocent friendship, would you now?" Finally placing a card down and looking up, Miroku was quite pleased to see that his companions' faces were now extremely red and neither one could seem to look at the other.

"W–why would anyone think such a thing?" Kagome asked finally.

"Well, it _is_ the logical assumption," Miroku replied innocently.

"B-but there's nothing going on!" Inuyasha protested in a slightly panicked voice.

"You don't have to tell _me_ that," Miroku said placatingly. "But the rest of the school doesn't know you like _I_ do. Who knows what their twisted minds could come up with? You know how ridiculous rumours can get! I would just _hate_ to see it happen. And it would. Trust me on this. Oh, and pick up two, Inuyasha."

Inuyasha seemed to forget that it had been Miroku's twisted mind he had been battling with earlier. He and Kagome glanced at each other uneasily. "Well...I suppose..." he gave way.

"Maybe just for a short while..." Kagome conceded.

A brilliant smile blossomed across Miroku's face.

"But I ain't wearing no stinking costume!" Inuyasha declared vehemently.

Miroku's smile didn't dim in the slightest. "Of course not. No one's asking you to. Only to show up!"

Inuyasha cast the boy a suspicious glance. "Why are you so happy? Why do you want us to go so bad? And last card, by the way."

"My dear friend, I'm only so happy because your reputations will remain unscathed!" Miroku answered cheerily.

"What reputations?" Inuyasha asked at the same time that Kagome said, "You mean they'll remain to the same degree of scathed as they ever were?"

Miroku sniffed. "If you want to be pessimistic about it, I suppose. But just think; going to this dance will raise everyone's opinions of you! You'll just be two people fitting in like everyone else!"

At this idea, a small smile appeared on Kagome's face. "You're right, aren't you? So maybe this _is_ a good thing."

"Of course it is!" Miroku encouraged. "Like, I, Miroku, would ever try to steer you two wrong!"

"The jury's still out on that..." Inuyasha muttered, placing his final card on the pile. "Ha! I win!" Then he sighed and relented to Miroku's badgering. "And I suppose you might have a point about the dance. Alright; we'll go."

"Perfect," Miroku purred. Meanwhile, he thought to himself, _Like anyone would notice if you two weren't there. Have either of you _been_ to a school dance before? Honestly... Those rumours would only start to circulate if a certain someone were to start them... Soooo glad you guys agreed to come. Otherwise, who _knows_ what I could come up with to tell the general populace?_ With a sly smile, Miroku redealt the cards.

..:V:..

"So...you're going to the Halloween dance?" Souta asked Kagome with a slightly doubtful frown. It was the following day, only a few hours before said dance, and Souta was hanging out with Kagome in her shared dorm while she tried to figure out what she was going to wear. Sango had gone out with a few of her other friends for the day, planning on being back only a short time before the start of the dance.

"Yep," Kagome confirmed for the third time. "I'm going to the dance and masquerading as a normal girl. Is that so hard to believe?"

"Well..." Souta shifted uncomfortably. "I suppose not... I mean, I am glad you've decided to go... It's just a little unexpected, that's all. You...don't usually go to these types of things."

"Well, Miroku said it'd be just like fitting in with everyone else and I know he probably didn't mean much by it, but it really did get me thinking. This could be the thing that gets my–reputation, if you will–back on track, you know? It will show everyone that I'm not just some creepy girl who displays uncalled–for nastiness and convulses every once and a while. Oh. And screams in the middle of the cafeteria when she gets a little ketchup on her shirt." Unexpectedly, Kagome smiled a little as she continued to sift through the clothes in her wardrobe.

Souta gave her an odd look and chose his words carefully. "...Sis? You seem...unusually chipper. Are you sure you're feeling alright? Did something happen?"

"Not really," Kagome replied vaguely, pulling out a skirt to look at.

"Sis?" Souta prodded.

Kagome sighed. "Well...if you _must_ know, well...you see...erm...I kinda... Well, a couple days ago, I kinda told Inuyasha about, uh, everything." She mumbled this last part while looking down and fiddling with the skirt in her hands.

Souta's eyes bulged. "You _what_! _Everything_!"

Kagome coughed and looked up with a hesitant grin. "Um, yeah... Well, not everything, I suppose. I didn't tell him about the visions or the nightmares."

Souta eyed her carefully. "I didn't think you ever wanted to tell anyone...?"

Kagome shrugged one shoulder and replaced the skirt in the closet. "I'm not even sure myself why I told him... But for some reason, I felt like I could...connect with him, that'd he understand somehow... In any case, it felt surprisingly good to tell someone else about it all. Kinda like some sort of weight had been lifted off, you know? As if I didn't have to bear the burden alone anymore..."

Souta got up from his seat on Kagome's bed and walked over to his big sister, hugging her around her midriff. "You've never been alone, sis. I've always been here with you."

Kagome hugged him back with a sad smile. "I know, Souta. And I thank you. But even you can only hold so much. I've burdened you for so long with my problems and you never complain... But I know I must really interfere with your normal life...and I've caused you to grow up too fast. You're so mature for your age... I wish I could take back all the trouble I've caused you. I need to take back the burden I've placed on you."

Souta looked up at her and gave her a small grin. "I'm only mature around you, sis. And besides, I don't mind the burden. I like being there for you. You'll always be able to count on me."

Kagome gazed down fondly on her younger brother and ruffled his hair affectionately. "Thanks, Souta," she whispered.

They stayed together for a few moments before Souta pulled away and gave Kagome a questioning look. "So...does this mean you're starting to trust Inuyasha now?" he asked, slightly confused. "And I thought you said you were going to try to steer clear of others. ...I heard what happened between you and Sango."

Kagome adopted an uncomfortable expression. "I...I'm not sure what I'm doing... I wasn't planning on telling Inuyasha all of that stuff... It just sort of came out... But now that he knows...I can't just ignore him, you know? I'm just not sure..." Kagome gave her brother a look of such confusion that he decided he'd best drop the subject for the time being.

Instead, Souta sat back down on Kagome's bed and said, "Gee sis, are you planning on wearing anything at all to this dance? Or are you just going naked?"

Her mind set jolted back to the task at hand, Kagome turned around with a soft "oh!" and began once again rummaging in her closet.

Once Kagome had finally decided on a black skirt and a modest top of varying shades of blue, she and Souta lounged around for the remaining few hours before the dance, recounting any and all recent events that popped into their heads and that they thought were worth relating to one another. They also discussed what each of them thought about the new school they were attending. Souta thought it to be a bit tough and strict, but overall fun, and Kagome thought it also to be challenging, but was enjoying the fact that at least her reputation was not yet beyond repair.

Three quarters of an hour before the dance was to begin, Sango passed the open dorm room door, followed closely by a young boy only a few years older than Souta himself. The two of them glanced at Kagome and Souta briefly, the boy giving Souta a slight wave, before continuing on their way.

"Who was that boy?" Kagome asked Souta with a slight frown.

Souta shrugged. "Oh, that's Kohaku. His room's the one across the hall from mine. He's pretty cool. He and a couple of his friends came out and played soccer with us yesterday even though they're a couple years older than us. It was fun. I think Sango's his sister."

"Oh, that would make sense," Kagome said in understanding. "Well, little bro, I better start getting ready for this dance so I'm gonna have to kick you out now, okay?"

Souta grinned. "Okay; I have to go work on a project that's due tomorrow anyway..."

Kagome gave him a mock stern look. "Are you leaving homework to the last minute again?"

Souta adopted an overly innocent look. "Of course not!" he responded as if hurt before grinning again and scampering out the door.

Kagome smiled as she shut the door behind him and turned back to the clothes she had laid out. Swiftly changing into them, she appraised her reflection in the bathroom mirror as she tried to decide what to do about her hair. Thinking that having a large portion of the student body all jammed into one gymnasium was bound to raise the temperature, Kagome figured she'd much rather have her hair off her neck and went about sticking it up into a messy up-do. Just as she was pinning down the last few stray hairs, Sango entered the dorm room alone, yet holding a few CDs in her hand that she hadn't been previously. Evidently, she'd gone up with her brother to his room to borrow them from him.

Kagome hastily vacated the bathroom so that Sango could use it and have some privacy to get ready for the dance. She then checked herself over to make sure she was fit to be seen and decided to make her way to the gym, even if she was fifteen minutes early.

When Kagome reached her destination, she noticed that quite a few other students had shown up early as well, and after waiting in a line for a while, Kagome finally paid for her admittance to the dance and received a stamp on the back of her hand. She then followed the students who had already paid into the now open gymnasium. It was dark save for many colourful, flashing lights and there were many Halloween decorations strewn around on the walls and hanging from the ceiling; everything from skeletons and ghosts to bats and spiders. The pounding music was just beginning to play and the few teens who had already entered the gym started dancing eagerly to the beat. Though to Kagome's eyes, their dancing looked like a metronome beat than anything else. Shrugging to herself, Kagome went to join the masses, though not quite sure she had a clue about what she was trying to do. She didn't see Inuyasha or Miroku anywhere yet, though, so she sighed to herself and attempted to copy the metronome dance in tune with the beat.

After a few incredibly boring minutes, Kagome spotted Miroku enter the gym with a broad grin and a reluctant Inuyasha clutched in his grip. Feeling a wave of relief wash over her at spotting people she knew, Kagome worked her way towards them through the growing crowd.

When Miroku spotted her approaching, his grin widened and he gave her a little wave. "Ah, Kagome!" he called over the pounding music. "Enjoying yourself?"

Kagome gave a non-committal shrug. "Truthfully? I can't really remember why I agreed to come!" she yelled back.

Inuyasha gave a short bark of laughter and gave Miroku a triumphant look. "See? I'm not the only one who thinks this is an utterly idiotic idea!"

Miroku just continued to smile. "That's just because you haven't gotten into it yet!" And with that, he pushed them both into the fray.

"Ahhh–Miroku!" Kagome screamed as she crashed through a group of affronted-looking grade nines, Inuyasha right behind her. "Eh, heh–sorry!" she excused herself.

"I'm gonna kill that guy–!" Inuyasha exclaimed, trying to turn around again and get back to Miroku. Unfortunately, the crowd had closed around them, and Miroku had disappeared from where he had been a few seconds ago.

Fuming, Inuyasha turned back to Kagome who was now uncomfortably close to him due to the pushing mob around them. She was so close, in fact, he bet he could count her individual eyelashes. There was no earthly reason anyone ever had to be that close to someone else, surely?

He coughed into his hand, hoping the gesture would hide any slight colour change in his cheeks. Not that there would be any. Why would his cheeks ever have reason to change colour? Now that he thought of it, he really wasn't sure why he had started coughing...

Nevertheless, Inuyasha's cough alerted Kagome to how close they were as well. "Sorry," she said ruefully, indicating the oblivious 'dancers' around her. "Who knew people could be–so–pushy!" With a slight grunt, Kagome placed her hands on Inuyasha's chest and used the brace to heave herself backwards against the back of a boy who had practically been shimmy-ing against her. With a cry, the boy pitched forwards into his female companion, who actually seemed quite delighted with this turn of events.

Laughing, Kagome turned back to Inuyasha to find him staring down at her. With a jolt, Kagome realized that her hands were still against his hardened chest. She yanked them away as little electric thrills went through her fingertips and found that now it was her turn to cough without explanation. Avoiding Inuyasha's unreadable gaze, Kagome stuttered, "You know – I'm kinda thirsty. I think I'll go get some punch!"

With that, Kagome spun around and worked her way as quickly as she could towards a table holding punch bowls she'd seen upon her arrival. _What WAS that back there?_ she thought to herself, horrified. _What has gotten into me lately?_

No sooner had Kagome found a styrofoam cup and filled it with some sort of orange-coloured punch had Inuyasha come up beside her and repeated her actions. He seemed to have gotten over his shock and was behaving as if nothing had happened at all. And yet, the awkward silence persisted as the two of them took a few sips of their punch and stared around the gym at nothing in particular. Miroku seemed like a distant memory now...

Finally, with an irritated sigh, Inuyasha drained his punch and chucked his cup in the garbage nearby. "This is stupid. I don't even know why people like coming to these things. Let's leave."

Kagome gave him a surprised look. "We've only been here for like fifteen minutes."

Inuyasha eyed her. "Don't tell me you're actually enjoying yourself?"

Kagome gave him a half grin. "Well...no, to tell you the truth. It's just that I parted with all that money to get in here. You know, they really do charge too much. And besides, where do you propose we go instead?"

Now it was Inuyasha's turn to grin. "I know of the best place you'll ever find in this school. Come on, I'll show you."

Kagome only needed about a split second to make up her mind. Glancing down at her almost full punch cup, she decided to take it with her since she'd never be able to drink it as fast as Inuyasha had his. "Okay," she agreed. "Lead the way."

Inuyasha was surprisingly easy to follow through the tightly-knit crowd of dancing students. He pushed through them with an attitude and force that brooked no opposition and if Kagome stayed close enough behind him, she could walk in his wake easily before the disgruntled dancers once again filled the gap. Inuyasha's silver hair swished behind him rhythmically as he walked along and the ears atop his head were pressed firmly against his head, where, Kagome realized in retrospect, they had been ever since he had set foot in the gym. A pang of sympathy hit Kagome as she realized that if _she_ was incredibly bothered by the loudness of the pounding music, she couldn't imagine how wretched Inuyasha must feel. Glancing furtively around, Kagome noticed that most of the students who had shown up for the dance that evening seemed distinctly human and only the types of demons with less sensitive hearing had turned up as well. In that case, in addition to the horrible music and smelly, sweaty bodies, Kagome thought she perfectly understood why Inuyasha wanted to get out of the place as quickly as possible.

When they at last reached the fresh air of the hallway, Kagome took a deep breath and tried to adjust to the fact that now that they were away from the loud music, it felt like someone had stuffed cotton in her ears and all noise sounded muted. But soon she noticed Inuyasha waiting impatiently and hastened to catch up with him.

"Sooo...are you going to tell me where we're going before we get there or am I supposed to guess...? Or–don't tell me–you're going to blindfold me and lead me to some secret room that no one's ever known about and that isn't even on the school building blueprints?"

Inuyasha snorted. "Hardly. We're going up to the roof."

"Oh..." Kagome said, slightly deflated. "Well, that can still be exciting, I suppose." As they sprinted up a flight of stairs, a thought occurred to her. "Wait–are we even allowed up there?"

Inuyasha flashed her a fanged grin over his shoulder. "Nope!"

Kagome gaped at his back as they started down the third and top floor corridor. "Well–won't we get in trouble then?" she asked nervously.

Inuyasha scoffed without looking back. Stopping beside a door at the end of the hallway and indicating it, he responded, "Only if we get caught." When Kagome continued to look apprehensive, he added, "Which has never happened, okay? Jeez, relax."

"Well...okay," Kagome agreed, though still sounding a tad doubtful. She tried the door. "It's locked," she said pointlessly.

"For now," Inuyasha said with a mischievous look in his eyes. He pulled a hairpin out of his pocket and deftly picked the lock in less time than it took Kagome to blink. Grumbling about unnatural skills, Kagome then followed him through the doorway and waited as he closed the door behind them.

They were in a room no bigger than a closet and a steep, narrow ladder led up to the ceiling overhead. Inuyasha scaled it quickly, and opened a trap door that immediately brought in the sweet scent of outdoors. Hauling himself up and out, he reached back down to take Kagome's drink from her as she proceeded to do the same as safely as she could in her skirt. Once she had stood up and retrieved her drink, she looked around and gasped. It was not so much the expanse of the roof, which was quite a bit, or the look of it, for it was quite flat and plain, covered with gray concrete; it was the breathtaking view of a portion of the city that really astonished her. It was ablaze with city lights – parking lot lights, street lights, traffic lights, lights inside office buildings – and the effect caused the city to look like some sort of surreal science fiction city of the future. The sight of the waning moon completed the picture, though the stars were outshone by the lights below.

"Wow, Inuyasha," Kagome breathed, walking over to the railing on the edge of the roof and trying to take it all in. "You were right. This is amazing."

"Keh!" Inuyasha exclaimed, springing up and landing on a crouch on the narrow railing. "Of course! I never lie!"

Kagome was so amazed at his incredible balance that she neglected to dispute that statement. "That's a neat trick," she admitted.

Inuyasha shrugged. "It's the demon blood."

Kagome scrutinized him. "You–you're only half demon, right?"

Inuyasha's demeanor turned hostile so fast Kagome was taken aback. "Yeah–so?"

"I didn't say it was a bad thing!" Kagome defended herself. "I was only clarifying and confirming what I'd heard! And what difference does it make? It's not like being a half demon makes you less of a person."

Inuyasha stared at her for a moment before looking angrily away. "Keh! What would you know?"

Kagome sighed, but decided she should let it go for the time being. Arguing against discrimination didn't make it go away. Five hundred years ago, humans and demons had fought fiercely, the differences between them vast. But as time went on, they had found ways to live peacefully alongside one another. Without the need for strength and power to fight anymore, demons had started going through natural changes; they had started evolving. Most of their powers were lost to the demons of today, only traces remaining. Modern demons usually had the indicating body parts of their species, heightened senses, and a slightly better sense of balance and agility, but for the most part, their strength had been reduced to that of an average human's and all extra powers had ebbed away as well.

But although the difference between human and demon had significantly decreased, people still held onto their old ideals. Pure blooded humans and demons were revered above anything else, and half demons looked down upon with scorn. Both humans and demons considered them to be a disgrace to their respective species and therefore they were forced to endure far worse discrimination than almost anyone in the world.

Kagome felt empathy for the boy beside her, but she couldn't say anything to reassure him if he refused to touch on the subject without thinking she thought like everyone else. Maybe she'd give it another go later on when he trusted her more...

Kagome took another gulp of her punch as she racked her brains for a new subject. "Sooo... Do you come up here often?" she asked, mentally berating herself as her question came out sounding like a really bad pick up line.

Inuyasha didn't seem to notice the same thing Kagome did as he concentrated on his answer, his expression relaxing. Sliding his feet out from underneath him so that he was now sitting on the railing with his legs dangling over a three story drop, he answered, "I used to... Back before the coma, you know? I used to come up here all the time. But I haven't been up here since I woke up. This is the first time. Heh, looks a bit neglected." He scraped a flake of rust from the underside of the railing and flicked it out into a breeze that fluttered past.

Kagome's eyes softened as she regarded the silver-haired half demon. He looked so lost, so alone. She knew the feeling. It was eerie how in tune with him she felt, how connected she felt to his feelings. She had the feeling he would never admit any of them to her, but she knew what they were all the same. She had told Inuyasha that she didn't know what he was feeling and wouldn't presume to know...but she had felt like she was lying to herself when she had spoken those words. And yet, she had known they would be the only words he would accept at the time. She knew she hated it when anyone tried to tell them they understood...because she knew they didn't. They hadn't been through anything like she had. But Inuyasha _had_. And since their tragedies were similar, she felt a connection to his feelings with an intense insight.

This abnormal connection was bound to be dangerous, she thought suddenly, apprehensively. She was getting too close to Inuyasha. It had been such a hectic past week that she hadn't noticed, but she was in very great danger of becoming...friends with him. If she wasn't already. Kagome's heart immediately rushed into overdrive. This couldn't be happening. This couldn't be _happening_.

Did Inuyasha think they were friends? Suddenly his opinion determined everything for her. If he didn't think they were friends, she was okay. But if he did... She needed to know. "Inuyasha?" she started tentatively.

"Yeah?" Inuyasha responded, still distracted with picking rust off of the railing.

"Do...do you think we're f-friends?" she asked nervously, taking a swill of punch to sooth her suddenly dry throat.

The rust suddenly didn't seem quite so interesting to Inuyasha anymore. He looked up sharply to see Kagome avoiding his gaze and looking incredibly uncomfortable. "I don't know..." he answered truthfully and a little miffed. "What do you think?"

"I don't know either..." Kagome responded in a small voice.

Inuyasha had a feeling that she was not comforted in the least by this idea. But he had no idea why it was such a big deal. "What does it matter anyway?" he asked, his question mirroring his thoughts.

Kagome fidgeted with the cup in her hands and didn't answer right away. In fact, she was silent for so long, Inuyasha wondered if she was even going to respond at all. Finally, in an even more subdued voice than before, she admitted, "I...I'm...scared..."

"Of what?" Inuyasha asked, willing himself to take the scepticism out of his tone. She looked on the verge of becoming frantic and he didn't want to agitate her further. In one smooth motion, he pulled his legs up and swung around on the railing to stand back down on the concreted roof beside Kagome.

"I'm...I'm scared of...becoming friends...with you..." Kagome said, trailing off into a whisper. She quickly drained the last of her punch as a distraction.

Inuyasha's brow furrowed. "Why?" The scepticism in his voice this time was unmistakable.

Kagome finally looked up at him and he was startled to see her eyes brimming with unshed tears. "Don't you understand?" she asked in almost a pleading voice. "Anyone who I've ever been friends with, anyone I've ever been close to...they all...they all..._died_." A lone tear slipped down her cheek.

"Kagome..." Inuyasha started softly. "You...you...?" A thought occurred to him. "Oh...you think anyone who's your friend will be killed in some way? ...This is why you pushed Sango away, isn't it? "

Kagome shook her head violently. "It's too dangerous! I can't bear to see another person die! I'll go mad! I swear to you I will!"

"Kagome!" Inuyasha said a little bit more forcefully as he took her shoulders in his hands. "Kagome, listen to me. People don't die _because _you make friends with them. If someone was going to die, your being their friend wouldn't have any effect on it–"

"Well, then _you_ tell me why all the people close to me die!" Kagome retorted angrily. "Just a nice big coincidence, is it? I just had the misfortune of being related to and meeting all the people who were next on the list to be taken to the afterlife, was I? I'll tell _you_ something! My parents would never have tried to confront that burglar if they weren't trying to protect me and Souta! Kikyo would never have gotten hit by that car if she hadn't been crossing the street to see _me_! And Hojo certainly wouldn't have been killed if _I_ hadn't suggested we take the shortcut home! Try telling me they would have still died if I hadn't been in the picture! You–you just don't k-know–" But at this point, Kagome was too choked up to continue her rant.

"None of that is your fault!" Inuyasha yelled in frustration. "You are not the cause of their deaths! If the _burglar_ hadn't decided to be a bastard and murder your parents, they would still be alive! If those _teenagers_ hadn't decided to drink and drive, your friend, Kikyo, would still be alive! And if a messed up gang of _thugs_ hadn't decided to commit murder over a bit of pocket change, your other friend, Hojo, would still be alive! Don't you see? You're the _last_ person to blame for their deaths! There were people a lot more responsible for them than you!"

Kagome looked stunned in the face of this reasoning. "Bu–but... But it can't _all_ be a coincidence. Everyone who–"

"Who's close to you has died?" Inuyasha cut in. "Do you really believe that? Have you not ever had any other friends that haven't died?"

"Well–" Kagome shifted uncomfortably.

"And do you or do you not have a younger brother that has been with you through all of this and who has never come into harm's way once?" Inuyasha asked pointedly.

"Souta..." Kagome whispered to herself, tearing her gaze away from Inuyasha and looking back over the city. She bit her lip and Inuyasha realized she still wasn't completely convinced. He took his left hand off of her shoulder and cupped her cheek with it instead, pulling her face back around so he could look into her eyes, hoping to convey some deeper meaning as he spoke.

"Kagome. I don't know whether we're friends. But I do know that if we are, that doesn't mean I'm going to die. You're not a curse. You don't cause the death of everyone you befriend. Nobody dies just because you're a part of their life."

Kagome let out a choked sob and leaned into Inuyasha's hand slightly. "Inuyasha... I want to believe that _so_ much. B–but..."

"Kagome, it comes down to this," Inuyasha interrupted her. "Do you or do you not want to be friends? I _swear_ to you that whether I live or die does not depend on your answer. In the end, it's whether you just want some company or not. My life doesn't hang in the balance. So. Do you want a friend or not?"

Kagome stared resolutely at him for few moments, tears brimming in her eyes, before she broke down and admitted, "I d-do! I want to be friends...! I-I want a friend so b-badly...!" Crying, she flung herself on Inuyasha who, though surprised at first, gently wrapped his arms around her shaking figure.

"Then I'll be your friend, Kagome," Inuyasha told her softly as she continued to cry into his chest. "And you can be mine..."

..:V:..

After that night on the roof with Inuyasha, Kagome felt refreshed and ready to tackle almost any obstacle. The knowledge that he was there and on her side gave her a newfound sense of confidence – she felt a source of inner strength she'd never had before. They became almost inseparable, sitting beside each other in the classes they shared and meeting in between the classes they didn't. They also ate lunch together every day under the Tree where hardly anyone would ever bother them. Now that Inuyasha had eased some of her worries about making friends, Kagome desperately clung to their friendship as if it were a precious lifeline.

It was odd, yet for some reason when Kagome was around Inuyasha, she didn't worry as much about her troubles – he made her nearly forget her hardships and feel like the only thing that was important was to have a good time. He made her laugh in a way no one had been able to for nearly three years and as days passed, she found herself growing more and more attached to him, wishing their days together would never end.

On Inuyasha's part, he had never felt such a connection to another person. He had loved his parents, but they had been the only ones close to him in his life. His older brother, Sesshoumaru, did not get along too well with him, even though he provided for his younger brother and looked out for him. And though Inuyasha had had a few friendships before his coma, when he woke up, they had mostly faded into the background, not knowing how to approach him. Not that they had been all that close anyways. His friendship with Kagome was somehow different, somehow more personnel. They understood each other on a deeper level, both having lived through tragedies and each still bearing the emotional wounds as if they were fresh. Because of this understanding, they were able to connect and share things with each other in a way other friends could only dream of.

And yet...Inuyasha couldn't help feeling that Kagome was keeping something from him. He didn't know what it was, but there were a few too many unexplained incidents...like when she had come into his and Souta's room that one night crying about some boy she couldn't find...or when she'd had that eerie trance in their MSP class... He had to admit, the curiosity gnawed at him like nothing else, but he was determined not to push her about it. After all, she wasn't the only one keeping secrets...

On a Friday evening, two weeks after the Halloween dance, there came a soft knock on Inuyasha's dorm room door. "Inuyasha?" the principal's voice floated through the door.

"What is it, old lady?" Inuyasha muttered in response, his voice muffled by the sheets over his head.

"Please come with me."

"No."

Kaede sighed. "Please come out, Inuyasha. I've got a hat for you."

Inuyasha took a moment to register this comment and then shot up in a sitting position on his bed. "..._What?_" he growled. "How the _hell_ do you...?"

"You're brother informed me of your unique situation," Kaede responded calmly. "Now come along, before Souta Higurashi comes back from dinner. You'd rather he didn't see you, correct?"

Inuyasha grumbled for a moment, trying to come up with a reason to protest, but finally giving in. He shuffled out from under the sheets of his bed, still fulling dressed, and went over to the door.

"Goddamn Sesshoumaru..." he muttered as he opened the door to see Kaede waiting expectantly for him, holding out a hat of horrid proportions. "What the hell _is_ that?"

The principal gave him a flat look. "It's a hat...it had to be bigger to hold all your hair. Oh, quit complaining, Inuyasha, and put it on."

"It looks like an oversized beret. There's no way I'm walking around with that on my head!" Inuyasha protested vehemently.

Kaede glared at him for a moment before abruptly shoving it down over his head.

"Hey! Hey...alright! Fine! Geez..." Inuyasha gathered up his long hair and bunched it under the hat, making sure that no strands showed. When he was done, the principal held out a pair of sunglasses. Without a word, Inuyasha took them and slipped them over his eyes.

"Now...come with me," Kaede instructed and walked down the hallway. Crossing his arms sullenly, Inuyasha followed.

They descended to the first floor, taking the utmost effort to avoid all possible contact with other students, until they reached the teacher's lounge.

"I excused all of the other teachers early," Kaede explained. "You can stay in here for the night."

"Do they all know...?"

"No," Kaede said, shaking her head. "I am the only one. Now, you can lock the door from the inside, and other than the custodians, I'm the only one with a key. And I have specifically instructed the custodians to avoid this room for tonight. Don't worry, Inuyasha, you're not the first one I've had to do this for since I arrived here three years ago. It'll be fine."

Inuyasha snorted. "Whatever..." With that, he entered the dark room and shut and locked the door behind him. With a sigh of relief, he pulled off the hat and sunglasses. He lost his relaxed position, however, when he heard a familiar voice on the other side of the door.

"Ms. Hakaru? Was Inuyasha just here?" _Kagome_. Inuyasha's fists clenched as his stomach did a flipflop.

"No, child. You must be mistaken," Kaede responded kindly.

"Oh...but I could have sworn I just saw him come around here with you. He had a big weird hat on..."

Inuyasha smacked his forehead.

"Your eyes must be playing tricks on you," Kaede insisted. "After all, why would Inuyasha be with me? I only see students during the school hours."

"Oh...of course. Sorry to bother you, Ms. Hakaru." Fading footsteps indicated Kagome's departure. Once again, Inuyasha let out a sigh of relief.

"We'll have to be a little more careful next time, I see," Kaede's voice drifted through the door before she, too, walked off.

Tiredly, Inuyasha shuffled over to a couch and flopped face down, planning not to get up until the night was over.

..:V:..

The night event was quickly put from both Inuyasha and Kagome's minds as they continued on with their daily lives. Life went on as normally as theirs could and a Thursday two weeks later found them walking down a hallway together on the way to their shared MSP class fifteen minutes early.

"So you're saying that two people can think that it takes a different amount of time for the same event to happen because they're in different reference frames?" Inuyasha was saying with a completely baffled look on his face as he tried to figure out their Physics lesson from earlier that morning. "And they're both right?"

Kagome nodded. "Apparently."

Inuyasha pounded a fist on his forehead. "Gah! Who wastes so much time _caring_ about all this stuff? There should just be a straight and simple answer to everything. None of this theoretical crap..."

Kagome sighed. "But then where would the human race be? We're all so focused on advancing technologically and learning all the secrets of the universe that if everything was suddenly answered and we had nothing left to do...we'd probably just waste away."

Inuyasha rolled his eyes. "Says you."

Kagome stuck out her tongue. "Says me. And we all know my word is absolute."

"Yeah, right," Inuyasha scoffed, shoving her playfully.

"Now, now, shoving a lady isn't very gentlemanlike," Kagome scolded with a dignified expression.

"Ha! I see neither a lady nor a gentleman here," Inuyasha responded.

"How uncouth," Kagome sniffed.

"Un–what?"

"Uncouth. Go look it up, my vocabulary-challenged friend," Kagome said, marching determinedly forward.

"You're just jealous," Inuyasha said confidently, walking in step with her.

"Oh, yeah? Of what, pray tell?" Kagome asked, arching an eyebrow.

"Of my steamy good looks, of course," Inuyasha said with a wink as he raked a hand through his silver locks.

Kagome suffered such a violent giggling fit, a book dropped out of her hands. Laughing, she bent down to retrieve it as Inuyasha's eyes twinkled at her. _Not that his looks _aren't_ kinda steamy–whoo, shouldn't go there..._

In response, Kagome flipped her black hair over her shoulder. "Ha! Why should I be jealous of you when I've got steamy looks of my own?"

Inuyasha stopped in the middle of the hallway. Kagome stopped too, in order to see that he was looking her up and down. "Nah..." he finally said with a teasing smirk. "You've got nothing on me."

Kagome rolled her eyes. "Oh, get over yourself."

She took a step forward and suddenly felt herself being plunged into cold water. She tried to scream, but no sound penetrated the liquid all around her. Her eyes darted around for a clue as to what was going on and the only sight she found was that of a girl struggling as she tried to free her hair from something. In a flash of insight, Kagome realized who the girl was as she raised her head to scream, locking eyes with Kagome. Then she went limp.

Kagome's books crashed to the floor as she came back to herself with an overwhelming sick feeling in her stomach. "_Sango_..." she whispered in a shaken voice before she abruptly took off down the hallway.

Inuyasha was left stupefied in her wake. One minute they had been bickering playfully and the next Kagome was stuck in one of those trances again... And now she was running off... "H-hey! Wait up! Kagome, where ya goin'?" Hastily, he scooped up her discarded books and charged after her.

Kagome was running so fast and determinedly that Inuyasha was only able to catch up with her when she stopped at her own dorm room. Fumbling, she slipped her key into the door and unlocked it, ignoring Inuyasha's questions. As soon as she entered and saw that both the room and the bathroom were empty, she took a split second to deliberate and then took off once again, running out and down the hallway without even bothering to shut the door behind her. Inuyasha took a bewildered glance around the room as well, dropped his and Kagome's books on her bed, and then followed her lead once again.

He exited the room just in time to see her disappear through the doors leading to the staircase. "Kagome...what has gotten into you...?" he muttered as he ran after her. Taking the steps two at a time, Inuyasha gained some time on the fleeing girl and caught sight of her as she exited the stairwell on the second floor. She seemed to be heading straight for his own room. Confused, Inuyasha watched her as she slowed down and stopped in front of his door. But instead of knocking or going in, she turned and went to the door across the hall, pounding on it violently.

"Uh...Kagome...?" Inuyasha prompted, though the girl didn't respond.

The door she was disturbing was abruptly opened and a curious younger boy peered out. He had brown eyes set in an already handsome face, with freckles sprinkling the bridge of his nose. His shaggy dark brown hair was pulled up in a high pony tail which somehow gave him an endearing look instead of girly one and he was dressed in the school's standard uniform; black slacks, and a white dress shirt covered by a black, button up jacket. He gazed up perplexedly at the two older kids in his doorway.

"Uh, hey," Kagome said in a rushed voice. "You're Kohaku, right? Sango's brother?"

Still confused, the boy nodded.

"Hi, I'm Kagome, Sango's roommate and Souta's sister. Is Sango here?" she rushed forward, hardly letting the boy register her words.

"Um, no..." the boy said, a little overwhelmed. "She has class right now...gym. In the pool."

Kagome swore she felt her heart stop. Wildly, her eyes flitted around the boy's room in search of something, anything to give her the sense that her feet were still touching the ground. Her gaze landed on a pair of scissors resting on a desk. Her face set and she barged past a startled Kohaku in order to snatch them where they lay. "Can I borrow these? Thanks," she said, not even giving the boy time to respond as she abruptly turned and ran back out of the room.

Inuyasha gave the boy a "I have no idea either" look before once again dashing after the erratic girl.

..:V:..

"Aaahhh!" Sango sighed as she breached the surface of the water. She glanced around and saw her gym teacher telling some of the other students how to improve their strokes. A few more of the students were just fooling around like she was; relaxing after all the lengths they'd swum, waiting as the class drew to a close. The lifeguard, a boy she knew vaguely as Kouga, was chatting up a pretty redhead in the pool, not really paying attention to his job. Sango rolled her eyes. Everyone had priorities...some people's were just a little less noble than others...

Lazily, she did a few back strokes and moved towards the deeper end of the pool. Feeling like challenging herself, Sango performed a flawless head-first surface dive and swam as fast as she could towards the bottom of the pool. Triumphantly, she made contact with the ceramic tiles of the bottom, before flipping around and attempting to swim back up to the surface.

But something was wrong. There was a yanking sensation at the top of her forehead and a muffled cry of pain escaped her lips. Frantically, she looked down and felt with her hands... Her hair was caught! Upon closer inspection, she saw that there was a broken pool filter embedded in the tiles...and the front portion of her hair had come free from her ponytail and was tangled within it! Panicking and feeling oxygen leaving her fast, she tugged at her hair, trying to free it from the filter's clutches. This seemed to be to no avail, however and her limbs began to lose their strength. Sango dazedly looked up above towards the surface, wondering if anyone had even noticed her absence as black slowing edged into her vision.

And then she knew no more.

..:V:..

"Kagome! Will you explain just what the hell is going on?" Inuyasha demanded as he attempted to keep up with the running girl. "What are you doing?"

"There's no time! No...time...!" was all Kagome said as she picked up her pace even more.

Inuyasha's eyes narrowed as he spotted a sign for the pool. Kagome skidded to a halt just outside of its doors and yanked them open. Dashing in, her eyes scanned the pool deck and the surface of the water frantically. Kids were splashing around, a teacher seemed to be talking to a few of them, and the lifeguard shift seemed to be changing from a boy she hadn't met before to Miroku. But nowhere she looked did she see the one person she was seeking. As she stood there scanning the pool area, people began to notice her presence and began staring at the odd girl fully clad in the school uniform and clutching a pair of scissors like a lifeline. Then, without warning, she ran towards the deep end of the pool and dove straight in.

As Kagome broke through the surface of the water, she searched its depths rapidly, finally pausing when she spotted what looked like a body on the bottom of the pool. Then she shot towards it, determinedly not thinking of what would happen if she didn't reach it in time. As she approached, her fears were confirmed as Sango's unconscious face came into view, restrained by a wad of her hair that was caught in a broken water filter.

Without hesitation, Kagome brought the scissors forward and began hacking and sawing at the restraining hair, hoping Sango's life was not already lost. After what seemed like ages, yet was only moments, Kagome cut the last few strands free. Dropping the scissors, she grabbed Sango and pushed off the bottom, keeping her head down so that no more water went down the unconscious girl's airway; all the while, feeling her own lungs burn in need of more oxygen.

Inuyasha and everyone else in the pool area's eyes focused in as Kagome reappeared on the surface of the water. Multiple gasps were let out as they noticed that she was now clutching the limp body of Sango. Miroku was the first one to snap out of his shock.

"Hang on!" he called to Kagome, who was now desperately inhaling her missed oxygen. "Someone call an ambulance!"

Without bothering to take off his shirt, Miroku dove into the water and rapidly made his way to the struggling Kagome. He quickly took Sango off her hands and expertly swum with her to the side of the pool, Kagome swimming lethargically behind. Inuyasha dashed forward to lift Sango out of the water as Miroku too slipped out. Then Inuyasha went back to help Kagome out. A bystander came up, claiming to have phoned 911.

Everyone in the pool area crowded around as Miroku checked Sango's breathing, which was absent. Quickly, he pressed his lips to hers and delivered two breaths. Then he checked her pulse.

"She still has a pulse!" he cried triumphantly. "I'll only need to do air resuscitation."

And so, amongst concerned onlookers, Miroku continued to give the girl alternating breaths and checks on her vital signs. Everyone waited with baited breath, hoping and praying. Kagome slumped down on the pool deck, exhausted but not willing to take her eyes off of the girl she had just pulled from the pool.

Finally, Sango began to cough violently, throwing up water. Miroku hastily rolled her onto her side and waited until all the liquid had vacated her lungs. Everyone let out a sigh of relief.

Sango took a few deep breaths and fluttered her eyes open, looking up at her audience. "W-wha...?"

"Are you okay, Sango?" Miroku asked her worriedly, a hand still resting on both her shoulder and hip.

"Uh...I–I think so..." the girl responded shakily. "What...what happened? My...my hair...caught..." She raised a hand to her head as some memories came back to her. Her gaze rested curiously upon a sopping wet girl a few feet away. "Kagome...?"

"Kagome saved your life, Sango," Miroku said gently.

Kagome gave the dazed girl a shaky grin. "I'd do it anytime."

"But–"

"Shhh," Miroku interrupted Sango. "The ambulance will be here soon and you have to go get checked out at the hospital, okay, Sango? There's still a possibility of danger. In the meantime, you just stay here on your side, okay? I'll get you a blanket." He was about to get up, when his sought blanket was practically shoved up his nose by Inuyasha. Saying his thanks, Miroku took it and spread it over Sango, comforting her as best he could.

Meanwhile, Inuyasha took a second blanket over to where Kagome sat shivering, her white shirt plastered to her body and the faint outline of her bra showing. Blushing, Inuyasha draped the blanket over her shoulders, covering her up and glaring around at all the insensitive boys eyeing her appreciatively. Once they had all looked away, he turned back to Kagome, his arms still around her protectively.

"Kagome...how...how did you know...?" he asked tentatively.

Kagome slumped against him. "Inu...yasha... I'm so tired... I don't feel like talking..."

Inuyasha's arms tightened around her. "It's okay, Kagome. You don't have to talk now. You can tell me later..."

Kagome didn't respond. Looking down at the deck, she thought, _...I wish I could tell you, Inuyasha... I wish you would understand if I did... But you wouldn't and so I can't..._

But for the first time, Kagome thought, she had _saved_ someone. She had seen Sango's death...and _prevented_ it. A giddy sense of relief overtook her even as she slipped into an exhausted sleep.

* * *

A/N There ya go, guys! Hope you liked it. :D Kagome saved someone! Yay! And not just anyone; Sango! Could this be the start of an actual friendship between the two of them? You'll have to stay tuned...(it may be a while, please don't kill me) 

Oh, and sorry about the impromptu introduction to the school uniform and the school pool. Lol, if I weren't updating this a chapter at a time, I'd go back and stick them in earlier. As it is...I'm too lazy to fiddle with it. This'll have to do.

And now we'll be able to get into the meat of the story! Lol, if you thought it was coming to a close (which I don't think you were)...you'd be dead wrong! We've yet to get to the good mystery stuff, haven't we? Don't worry, it's all coming! Hope you enjoyed this chapter and I'll talk to you all later!

P.S. If anyone was a little annoyed with the ending of the sixth Harry Potter book...or if you just want a good laugh, please go and check out my new Harry Potter one-shot, The Inevitable Ending!


	10. Catching Up With The Past

Disclaimer: I see no Inuyasha, hear no Inuyasha, own no Inuyasha...

A/N Howdy, folks! –crickets chirp– Folk..? Anyone left out there? Well, if so, here's a brand spanking new chapter of In the Shadows for you, hot off the press! And guess what? I'm updating it exactly on its two year anniversary of its last update! How cool is that? Pathetic that it's been that long, but still kinda neat...

Anyways, enjoy, whoever's left, and read until your heart's content! Prepare yourself, for it's a looong one!

* * *

Kagome groaned as she rose groggily from unconsciousness. Trying to stay under, she raised a hand to cover her eyes, but the movement only woke her up further. Sighing in resignation, she instead rubbed her eyes roughly before cracking them open.

Immediately she was aware of the fact that she was back in her own room. She was laid out on her own bed, still in her damp clothes, but with a few towels wrapped around her body. Looking for an explanation, she turned her head to the side to see Inuyasha sitting on her desk chair beside the bed, gazing at her anxiously.

"Good morning..." she mumbled sleepily.

His expression turned amused. "It's still just afternoon, sleepyhead."

Kagome's brow furrowed. "How long have I been sleeping?"

"Just a couple hours," Inuyasha shrugged. "It's 1:30 now."

"Is Sango okay?"

"I think so. Miroku said taking her to the hospital probably wasn't necessary, but he wanted to make sure she was a hundred percent okay. Apparently there's still some danger of something called secondary drowning sometimes. In any case, they shouldn't be long, I wouldn't think," Inuyasha explained. "As for you, I brought you back up here and tried to dry you off as best I could, but I didn't want to...you know...strip you or anything." His cheeks turned red as he said the last part very quickly.

A matching blush rose on Kagome's cheeks and she coughed to dispel the awkward moment. "Right...well, then... I suppose I've been in these clothes long enough. I can change myself now. Just...wait here." Rising out of bed with a slight wobble that didn't get by Inuyasha's cautious look, she made her way over to her dresser and fished around for some dry clothes. Once she was satisfied with her selection, she went into the bathroom and closed the door. A minute later, she reemerged and dropped the wet bundle into her hamper.

Moving away the damp towels, she sat back down on the bed to face her silver-haired companion. "So have you been waiting with me all this time?"

Inuyasha scratched the back of his head uncomfortably. "Er...yeah. I wanted to make sure you were okay... Also..."

"You wanted to interrogate me when I woke up," Kagome stated, staring directly into his eyes.

"Well...not_interrogate_..." Inuyasha said apologetically. "Just...ask...you know – how you_knew_. About Sango. In these two hours that I've been sitting here, I can't think up any sort of explanation for it. It's just too surreal."

Kagome let out a frustrated breath. If in two hours _he_ couldn't think up any plausible explanation for what had happened, how was she supposed to think up one on the spot? The situation _had_ been too surreal, too unbelievable. She really couldn't excuse this away.

Helplessly, she look at him. "What do you want from me?"

He hesitated as he took in her expression. "I...I want you to tell me what happened. And I don't want you to lie to me."

Kagome bit her lip and looked down to the side. After a moment, she lifted her gaze to meet his again, her eyes pleading. "I won't lie to you, Inuyasha...but I can't tell you the truth. I can't tell you what happened..."

Inuyasha's expression was impossibly frustrated. "You can't give me just that! We were walking down the hall one minute, joking around, and the next you were running off as if hell itself were on your heels. And then you get down to the pool just in the nick of time to save Sango, who no one else even knew was drowning! How could you have possibly known?"

"I_can't_ explain it," Kagome insisted, clutching the comforter of her bed tightly. "It's just...something you'll have to trust me on. Or rather...just leave alone. Please don't ask me anymore about it."

"But–!"

"_Please_," Kagome begged.

Inuyasha crossed his arms and glared off to the side, clearly unsatisfied. "Fine. I won't ask you about it anymore...for the time being."

Kagome sighed. Clearly this was the best she was going to get from him.

A few moments of tense silence passed and when it became too uncomfortable to bear, Kagome glanced about the room for a new conversation topic. Her gaze landed on a deck of cards. "Gin?" she asked cheerfully.

Inuyasha gave her a confused look. Tilting his head a bit to the side, he said, "But even if we had it, Kagome, we're not old enough to drink..."

At the completely earnest expression on his face, Kagome couldn't help but burst into a fit of giggles. As his look became even more baffled, she managed to get out, "No, no, silly! The _card game_ Gin, not the alcohol!"

Though irritated, Inuyasha managed to look properly abashed. "Oh...well, then sure. But I don't know how to play..."

Drawing her legs up beneath her on the bed, Kagome grabbed the deck of cards and leaned forward enthusiastically. "Here, I'll teach you..."

For the next hour, Kagome and Inuyasha contented themselves with playing various card games and generally having fun. Inuyasha assured Kagome that the teachers didn't expect them to be in class for the rest of the day due to the pool incident and Kagome joked that at least one good thing came out of it.

Just as Kagome was about to deal a new hand of cards, the door burst open to reveal her younger brother. He looked out of breath and panicked. "Kagome! I _just_ heard what happened! Are you okay?"

In response, Kagome opened her arms and her brother came rushing over to give her a hug. "Right as rain," she replied.

With a small smile in the corner of his mouth, Inuyasha stood up. "I think that's my cue to leave you two alone," he said. "I'll see you tomorrow, Kagome."

Over Souta's shoulder, she smiled at him. "Thanks for everything today, Inuyasha."

He gave her a small wave before exiting the room and closing the door behind him. As soon as he was gone, Souta leaned back and looked his sister directly in the eyes. "Okay, now tell me exactly what happened."

Kagome looked at him thoughtfully. "I hardly know myself..." she started out slowly. "I was just walking down the hall with Inuyasha at lunch and then between one step and the next, I had this sudden vision of Sango drowning. I've never had one like that before, you know? Usually it's just in a dream or something and_months_ in advance. With the suddenness of it all, I somehow knew it was going to happen a lot sooner than normal.

"I ran up to Kohaku's room 'cause I didn't know where Sango was and he confirmed my fear: she was down in the pool. So I grabbed some scissors and raced down there. Sure enough, she was on the bottom of the pool with her hair caught in a water filter. I was able to cut her free and then Miroku did AR to revive her in time. I fell asleep, but otherwise I'm fine. So you can stop worrying about me," she added with a teasing note.

Her brother still looked grave though. "But what does this mean?" he wondered. "Do you have the power to prevent the deaths you foresee after all? This death must have been unexpected, or else you would have seen it coming sooner...but all the same you stopped it from happening. Maybe this is a sign, Kagome!"

Kagome shared his excitement for a moment before allowing her shoulders to slump again. "Maybe... I mean, I _am_ happy and enormously relieved I was able to save Sango, but what about the mystery boy? I haven't had a vision about him in a while. So I don't know who he is, or what I'm supposed to do next. How am I ever going to prevent his death if I can't even find him?"

"Well..." Souta hesitated. "Maybe you already _have_ prevented his death. Maybe just by doing some random thing since coming here, you've prevented the whole thing. Maybe he's already saved and that's why you're not having any more visions of him."

Kagome considered this for a moment before shaking her head. "Somehow I don't think that's it. I think there's more to it. No one little thing I've done since coming here would have an impact on the bloody scene I witness in my dreams. There's something more to that boy's story and until I figure out who he is, I don't have a hope of stopping that murder..."

"At least we can safely believe that it's actually in your power to do so," Souta provided hopefully. "I mean, how you saved Sango today proves that, doesn't it? That by doing something, taking an active role, allows you to change what happens to these people. So no matter how grim it may look, you _can_ save this boy somehow."

"The problem, though, is that 'somehow'. I don't know what I'm supposed to _do_, Souta. With Sango it was easy – I saw her in danger, I found out where and I knew exactly _when_. But when I have the visions months in advance, there's no way of knowing. And all I can tell about the location is that it's outside somewhere on concrete, and it's nighttime. What am I supposed to get from that?" Kagome asked, frustrated.

Souta frowned in thought. "At night? Can you see the sky?"

Kagome stared at him. "Kind of... Most of the vision is on the boy, but I'll see if I can look more around next time. Why?"

"Well...I was just thinking you could see what phase the moon is in," Souta suggested. "I mean, that way you'll at least know the vague time of month the murder will take place in, even if you don't know the exact month. It's just a thought, you know..."

Kagome started at him a moment longer before launching at him and hugging him tightly. Messing up his hair with her hand, she said, "You're way too smart for a nine year old, you know that?"

"Aw, jeez, Kagooome!" he protested, trying to flatten his hair as she laughed. He looked at her in wonder. "I'm never going to get tired of hearing you laugh," he told her suddenly. "You've really loosened up since meeting Inuyasha."

"I'm not really _that_ different," Kagome protested. "I just...I just don't feel I should brood and be depressed when nothing bad's happening..."

"You got that attitude from him, didn't you?" Souta pressed.

"Hey, what's he got to do with this?" Kagome tried to brush the matter aside. "I decided this for myself, I–what?"

Souta was smirking. "Oh, come _on_, sis. Ever since you became friends with him, you're like a_completely_ different person. You're cheerful, you laugh. You have fun, you see the good side of life, instead of all the death you've witnessed. You seem back to your true self, the person you were before Hojo was killed... After these two years, I had almost given up hope of ever seeing that person again. But Inuyasha has brought a bit of her back to life, back to me. Now really, what do _you_think of him?"

Kagome was blushing in embarrassment from Souta's description of her. "I...well, I don't know. He's just...an awesome person. It's like...well, I can hardly explain it. But the both of us have been through such terrible things that it's as if we can come to a simple understanding about each other, and then move on to better things. With anyone else, it wouldn't work the same way. A cheerful, optimistic person with no worries could never hope to understand the things I've been through. That immediately puts a barrier between us. But if we've both experienced horrible things, that barrier's brushed away. Then we can start afresh without worrying about the past. Does that make any sense whatsoever...?"

Souta was giving her a sceptical look. "I mostly understand, Kagome...but still... I think you should give the cheerful people more of a chance. Just because they're not miserable, doesn't mean you can't have fun with them too." After the meaning of this phrase sunk in, the two of them burst out laughing. "Well...you know what I mean," Souta finished awkwardly.

"I do," Kagome replied, sobering up.

"And, well...I don't know her very well, but from what I can tell from Kohaku, Sango seems like a really nice person. And she's trying really hard to be friends with you. Now that, you know, you've saved her from dying and everything, don't you think you might try to be friends with her too?" Souta looked at her hopefully.

Kagome sighed. "When did you start sounding like a mother?" Souta gave her a flat look and began to respond, but she cut him off by raising her hand. "No, no, I know, I know. You don't have to worry about it. I've already been planning to make peace with Sango. She really didn't deserve what I put her through and I _have_ saved her from what I was most afraid of happening in the first place."

Souta grinned. "Good then. Then let's go get something to eat. I'm starving. _Somebody_ didn't skip his afternoon classes and so worked up an appetite."

Kagome punched him playfully on the arm. "Yeah, well _somebody_ also didn't save another person's life today. Who's more deserving of food really?"

"Touché," Souta conceded. "Alright, then let's get some chow into your deserving stomach...and mine, 'cause I'm just plain hungry."

Laughing, Kagome stood up and followed her brother out the door.

..:V:..

It was around six o'clock when Miroku returned from the hospital with Sango. Kagome, who was brushing her teeth in the bathroom, heard them exchange a few muted words in the doorway before parting ways. Guzzling down some water to clear her mouth, Kagome exited the secondary room to see her roommate make her way unsteadily over to her bed and sink down upon it.

Knowing it was now or never, Kagome walked towards her. With a slight smile, she asked, "Rough day?"

Sango looked up at her warily, but smiled wearily. "Oh, you know...algebra homework, near drowning, hospital food...and the worst part? I don't have a date for the Christmas dance coming up in a few weeks."

The two girls chuckled for a few moments before silence reigned over their shared room. Both shifted uncomfortably for a minute, looking at other points in the room before each of them tried to speak at once.

"Sango–"

"I just–"

"You first," Kagome said quickly, not sure herself what she had been about to say a moment before.

Sango let out a long sigh and looked down at her swinging feet. "Well...I just wanted to say that prying into your past has never been a priority of mine. I've always just wanted to be your friend, nothing more. I'm not expecting anything of you and I'm certainly not judging you. I just...I just want to be friends."

Kagome silently contemplated her for a moment before responding. "I'm surprised you still want to be my friend after the way I treated you," she said finally. "But I'm grateful that you're giving me a second chance to accept your offer. Even when I was pushing you away the first time, I regretted it with all my heart. I only did it because I thought it wasn't worth the risk..."

True to her word, Sango didn't ask any prying questions. However, Kagome continued of her own accord, sitting down on the bed beside her. "You see...I've seen terrible things in my life. I witnessed my parents being murdered by a burglar when I was six–" Kagome continued over Sango's shocked gasp, "–and then I saw a friend of mine get hit by a car when I was ten. Finally, when I was thirteen, my best friend in the whole world was stabbed to death while protecting me from street thugs."

"Oh my god..." Sango whispered, staring at the girl next to her in disbelief and horror.

Kagome smiled wanly at her. "Forgive me for what I did to you, but I hope now you can at least see _why_ I did it. So many people close to me have been killed before my eyes...it's gotten to feel like they died _because_ they were close to me. I wanted to be your friend, I really did...but I wanted to protect you more. So I thought if I hurt you a little bit in order to keep you away from me, in the end it would be worth both our pain..."

Sango stared at the girl beside her with shining eyes. Without a word, she reached out and hugged Kagome close. "You poor girl...what horrors you've seen. I understand why you did what you did...there's nothing to forgive. And of course my offer of friendship still stands." She leaned her head against the other girl's.

Kagome closed her eyes and returned the sideways hug. "Thank you, Sango. Thank you so much..."

..:V:..

The next day, Kagome was in high spirits. Though people were staring as she walked down the hall, all having heard of the pool incident the day before, she could hardly feel their eyes. All that was on her mind was the fact that she had a new friend, someone she had _saved_, who she was meeting for lunch. She practically bounded out of Biology to meet Sango by her locker.

The older girl saw her coming and waved her over with a smile. "How was class?" she asked as Kagome began spinning the combination of her lock. Sango fiddled with her newly styled bangs, the result of the underwater shearing she'd received the day before. She wasn't quite used to the new hair cut yet and often tried to brush them back or aside with her fingers.

"Pretty dull, to be honest. Inuyasha thought doodling all over my notes in Physics would be better than paying attention to the lesson. Then we had to start dissecting a rat in Biology." Kagome wrinkled her nose in distaste.

"Ah, yes. That glorious experience. I went through it last year. Let me tell you, that smell will haunt you long after that project's over. I don't think it'll ever be truly forgotten, to be honest."

"What a happy thought," Kagome responded sarcastically.

Sango straightened up. "Well, on that note, let's go eat, shall we?"

Kagome shut her locker and re-locked it before turning to her. "Lead the way!"

As they were chatting so animatedly to each other, they didn't notice the large crowd of girls outside the cafeteria until they were nearly upon it. "What's going on?" Sango wondered aloud.

"I don't know..." Kagome said, standing on her tiptoes and craning her neck. The crowd proved to be too tall, or her too short, however, and she was still at a loss.

"Come on," Sango said, grabbing her hand. "There's only one way to deal with this." With that, she dove into the crowd and muscled her way to the front, dragging Kagome along behind her.

Just as they reached the front, they heard Miroku's voice booming out. A moment later, they saw him standing in front of a makeshift booth and beaming at the group gathered around him. "That's right! Step right up ladies and receive Miroku's patented and proven Kiss of Life!" He caught sight of the two girls staring at him in shock. "Ah, Sango! Gather round folks for some testimony from a very satisfied customer!"

The girls around them accordingly stepped back and stared expectantly at Sango. The girl seemed to be at a loss of words, however. She could only gape in incredulity at the grinning boy in front of her.

At her silence, Miroku smoothly took over once again. "Ah, just recalling the wondrous kiss has left her speechless. You too can experience this near miracle. The first five customers are on the house! After that, I'm afraid I'll have to charge two dollars per guest. These life saving kisses aren't cheap, you know! Now, if the first lady can step right up–"

"ARE YOU INSANE?" Sango suddenly shrieked. "We never k–! You are...what do you think you're...I...they...!" Fuming and embarrassed past words, Sango suddenly spun around to the eagerly waiting crowd. "I'm sorry girls, but this business just closed." With that, she turned back to Miroku and before the boy could protest, she smacked him over the head. Kagome, along with the rest of the mob, winced at the resounding _thwack_. Then Sango grabbed Miroku by the arm and dragged him into the cafeteria, Kagome trailing behind with a grin on her face.

"Just...just_what_ did you think you were doing?" Sango demanded once they'd sat down, still beet red.

Miroku was still rubbing his head, pouting. "I _was_ trying to make a profit. It was going to be a great way to get some extra spending money. Didn't you see them all lined up? But then you went and ruined it..."

"R-ruined it?" Sango spluttered. "Miroku, you set up a kissing booth! All because of giving me AR yesterday – and just for your information,_that wasn't a real kiss_." If possible, her face grew even redder.

Miroku was about to object when he was interrupted by stifled giggles. Looking to his left, he found Kagome trying to look at him innocently, but hiding her laughing mouth behind her hands. Turning more fully towards her, he said calmly, "I do believe, my dear, that you find something amusing."

Still hiding her mouth, Kagome shook her head quickly.

"Now, now, I insist you share with the rest of us," Miroku pressed, still completely serious as he took her hands in his own and lowered them. An insuppressible grin graced her features.

"No, no, don't mind me. Just carry on with your argument," Kagome said cheekily.

Miroku leaned in to eye her more closely which caused Kagome to nearly lose her restraint. She was shaking from suppressed laughter when a knee came out of nowhere and ripped their hands apart. A blur of silver and black was all the warning they had before Inuyasha was sitting firmly between the two.

Miroku recovered quickly from his shock and patted the newcomer genially on the back. "Ah, Inuyasha! We don't usually...er, ever...have the honour of seeing you in the caf!"

"Yeah, well _someone_–" he gave a pointed look to Kagome, "–insisted on eating lunch indoors today."

"And how come you sat over there with them?" Sango protested. "Now I'm all alone on this side."

"Miroku'll keep you company," Inuyasha said, nudging Miroku to move.

Miroku raised an eyebrow at him as Sango started to object. "Hey, wait now! Why do I have to sit next to _him_? He...he set up a kissing booth!"

Inuyasha furrowed his brow, trying to follow her logic. "So...now he has other girls' cooties?"

Sango slapped her forehead. "No! B–but he insinuated...things! That weren't true! I shouldn't have to sit next to him!"

Inuyasha turned to give Kagome a baffled look. "Are they really older than us?"

Kagome nodded, giggling once more.

Inuyasha shrugged. "Just checking..."

By this time, Miroku had gotten up and made his way around the table. As Sango eyed him warily, he slid in next to her, going so far as to wrap an arm around her waist. Words seemed to fail her as he leaned in to look directly into her eyes. "Don't worry, Sango. If it upsets you that much, I won't kiss any other girls but you in the future." With that, he released her and turned back to his lunch. "I'm starving! Let's eat!"

Sango was left blushing to her roots and in complete shock. Shakily she uttered, "That's...not...what I..." No more words would come to her, however, and she was being completely ignored, so it made little difference.

..:V:..

The lunch incident was soon pushed from the minds of all involved except Sango, but despite Miroku's comment, their relationship remained ambiguous.

The four continued to meet everyday, but Inuyasha managed to convince the rest of the group to move their lunchtime meetings outside so his sensitive hearing didn't have to deal with the noise of the chaotic cafeteria. Soon enough, Kagome and Sango chatted together as if they had been friends forever, and even Inuyasha's hostile demeanor dimmed a bit.

A week passed without incident and the next Friday afternoon found Kagome playing cards with Inuyasha in his room while Souta was visiting friends. They had come straight after class, preparing to lounge around and accomplish approximately nothing over the course of the entire evening. Sango and Miroku had made other plans with separate groups of friends that they had been neglecting lately, and so were woefully absent.

When the phone started ringing, the two of them stared at it blankly for a moment before Inuyasha hesitantly got to his feet. Souta never received any outside calls and there was only one person Inuyasha could think of that could possibly be phoning _him_. With dread, he inched his hand towards the phone.

"Hello?" he greeted.

"Inuyasha," a flat, male voice sounded through the line, loud enough for Kagome to hear. "Come quickly. It's Rin." With that, there was a click indicating the speaker had hung up.

A baffled but worried expression replaced Inuyasha's features and Kagome couldn't tame down her curiosity. "Who was that? Who's...Rin?"

Inuyasha clenched a fist tight. "That was my older brother, Sesshoumaru. Rin's the little girl he's been trying to adopt for the past couple years."

"Hn," Kagome made a noncommital sound as she watched what seemed to be an inner struggle within Inuyasha.

"He...Sesshoumaru never calls unnecessarily – thank _god_ – so it might actually be important... But what could it be that involves Rin? I try to have as little contact with my brother as possible, but if Rin's really in trouble..."

"Maybe you should go," Kagome suggested, recollecting all the playing cards they had sprawled out. "It sounds like they really need you for something."

Inuyasha sighed, raking a hand through his hair. "Yeah, I guess so... Hey, will you come too?"

Kagome's hands froze and she looked up at him in surprise. "What–me? Go to see your brother with you?"

"Yeah! I really, really hate him... It'd be a lot easier to deal with him if you were there too," Inuyasha explained as if he'd just found the cure for cancer.

"A-are you sure?" Kagome asked hesitantly. "I wouldn't want to intrude on any family emergency..."

Inuyasha brushed her off. "It's fine. Our family life has been public for so long, I don't think there's anything private left about it. Besides, even if Sesshoumaru's the devil himself, Rin's actually a good kid. Hell if I know how the two of them ended up connecting with each other."

Kagome smiled. "Alright, I'll go. But on the way, you have to explain the whole story between the two of them."

Inuyasha grinned in relief. "You have yourself a deal."

The two grabbed their jackets to deal with the chilly autumn weather and headed off the school premises, checking in with the principal before they left. As they waited for the bus, Inuyasha started his story.

He didn't know the whole of the details, because Sesshoumaru refused to tell him, but he knew the important parts. When Sesshoumaru was visiting him one time while he was still in his coma – about two or so years ago – he happened upon this little girl at the hospital. She was brought in for treatment of minor injuries, but she was mainly there because her parents had been brutally attacked, right in front of her eyes of all things. The father had already died at the scene, and the mother was in the emergency room, where she quickly slipped into a coma. The girl was in complete shock and hadn't uttered a word to anyone since the incident, whether it be cop, doctor or psychologist.

"Somehow Sesshoumaru came across her in the waiting room and, God only knows why, began talking to her. Somewhere in the middle, the girl began responding to him and I guess they bonded or something. You have no idea how weird a concept I find that in relation to my brother. So anyways, she became eerily attached to him and I guess they met quite frequently at the hospital while she waited for her mother to come out of the coma.

"I think it went on for about two weeks, after which point her mother passed away. Rin was devastated and would only talk to Sesshoumaru. When he then learned she had no other relations to speak of, he went about trying to adopt her. You can imagine that a single, twenty-four year old man who's nearly always at work and never at home might have some difficulty in adopting a six year old girl in need of a lot of special care. So Sesshoumaru's been battling the system for two years in hopes of finally winning custody of her. She's been suffering in some orphanage during that time, but Sesshoumaru figured he was really close to getting through to them. So I wonder what he could be calling about now..."

By this time, the two of them had boarded the bus and were travelling towards Western Enterprises, where Inuyasha had assured Kagome Sesshoumaru would be.

"Wow. That's quite a story..." Kagome commented. "Sad...but sweet also..."

"Sweet should be the _last_ word used in reference to my brother," Inuyasha snorted. "He's the coldest, most uncaring person in the world."

"But..." Kagome's brow furrowed. "He took care of you all that time you were in the coma, didn't he?"

"Tch, probably just for appearances and so that I would name Mother and Father's killer when I woke up. It must have been quite the disappointment for him when I couldn't remember a thing," Inuyasha spat in disgust.

Kagome stole a look at his angry and slightly hurt expression out of the corner of her eye. "Hmm...I wonder..." she murmured to herself.

Soon enough the bus pulled up into a more business-oriented district and she and Inuyasha hopped off. Inuyasha led the way, walking briskly past various office buildings, Kagome hastening to keep up. He took several twists and turns and by the time they stopped in front of a magnificent structure reaching to the skies, Kagome was completely disoriented. That was of little concern to her, however, as she gazed upon the central headquarters of Western Enterprises, run entirely by Sesshoumaru Reijiro himself.

The building itself was taller than most surrounding it and looked nearly futuristic with its sharp angles and reflective glass windows. Kagome gaped at it for a full minute, wondering how a mere building could look so high-tech, before Inuyasha nudged her to move forwards. Hastily she looked down at herself, worrying her jeans, t-shirt and button-up jacket combination might not be classy enough for such a prestigious establishment.

"Oh, come on, will you?" Inuyasha urged impatiently. "You look fine, alright? Besides, Sesshoumaru's not worth the effort of dressing up anyway. So let's go already."

Kagome nodded mutely and followed him into the building, looking all around her as she went. "So what exactly do they _do_ here?" she asked quietly as they made their way across the lobby. "I read it was some sort of computer company, but..."

"If it's related to computers, they do it here," Inuyasha said offhandedly. "Software, hardware, program design, electronics...you name it. This is a massive corporation that's been going down through my family, growing with each generation as new technology is discovered. My dad was the previous president, but when he was killed, Sesshoumaru took over prematurely. I heard there was a bit of adjusting and rockiness at first, but Sesshoumaru kept things running relatively smoothly and soon enough, he had the entire corporation neatly under his control. The guy's practically a machine."

Kagome whistled in appreciation as Inuyasha nodded to the lobby secretary and led the way over to a couple of ornate elevators. "This guy sounds pretty impressive. So why do you hate him so much again?"

"Because he's an asshole!" Inuyasha retorted, folding his arms and refusing to say more.

Kagome suppressed a giggle at his childish behaviour. "Ah, right. My mistake."

The elevator dinged then, opening its doors to the awaiting pair. They stepped in and Inuyasha pushed the button for the thirty-fifth floor. A flurry of activity seemed to surround the elevator. Countless numbers of people would get on at one floor and then off a few floors up, where another batch would board. The building almost seemed alive with the amount of action going on and Inuyasha and Kagome just attempted to become invisible in the corner of the elevator.

Finally the amount of people coming and going seemed to thin out and the elevator's journey to the thirty-fifth floor sped up. As it reached their intended floor, Inuyasha let out a great breath as one might before they headed to their doom. "Here we go..."

Kagome gave him an encouraging smile before the elevator dinged and its doors opened. Inuyasha stepped out and headed down the hallway to the right, Kagome following. They reached the door at the very end and walked through into an opulent waiting room. There were a half dozen cushy seats lined up against the walls, with small side tables scattered between them. Recreations of classical paintings adorned the walls, though since they had just entered the month of December, the many Christmas decorations that were strung up took away from the sophisticated effect.

A large desk was positioned between two doors that went further into the office, and a lone woman sat behind it, typing furiously away at the computer. Her shoulder length black hair was swept up into a tight french roll and her piercing red eyes were focused on the monitor before her. Despite her cold and professional appearance, she only looked to be in her mid-twenties. A name plate on the desk read Ms. Ishitaru.

Inuyasha let out a small cough and the woman looked up in surprise. The surprise quickly changed to recognition and pleasure, however, and she jumped up from her seat to greet them properly.

"Inuyasha! What a surprise! And who did you bring with you?" the woman asked, looking at Kagome expectantly.

Inuyasha scratched his head in embarrassment. "Ah, this is my friend from school, Kagome. Kagome, this is Ms. Ishitaru."

The woman cuffed him lightly over the head. "Really – Ms. Ishitaru! Thanks for making me feel a hundred years old, Inuyasha!" To Kagome, she said, "You can just call me Kagura."

Kagome smiled. "Okay."

Inuyasha rolled his eyes. "Anyways, _Kagura_ is Sesshoumaru's personal assistant. She takes care of all the secretarial stuff so Sesshoumaru is free to wallow in his own ego."

"Now, now," Kagura admonished. You should be more understanding of your brother. He's less self-absorbed than he lets on."

Inuyasha scoffed. "Right. I'll believe that when I see it."

"What about his adoption of Rin?" Kagura argued. "You can't say that was a selfish act."

Kagome smiled slightly to herself at the obvious admiration Kagura held for her boss.

"Oh, I don't know," Inuyasha replied. "I'm sure he's got something in mind for her; like to be the first of many specially trained super soldiers designed to aid him in his conquest of the world, for example."

As Kagura and Inuyasha continued to argue, Kagome felt a sudden shiver run down her spine. She turned around to look at the doorway they had come in through, but there was no one there.

"Kagome?" Inuyasha asked behind her. "Is something wrong?"

Kagome gave the empty doorway one last quizzical look before turning back with a smile. "No, nothing."

Kagura gave her a warm smile. "So is school going well, you two?"

Kagome nodded, but Inuyasha shrugged. "Could be better – I could actually understand what the teachers are talking about."

Kagura gave the boy such a sympathetic look that Kagome was moved to add, "You're not having _that_ much trouble, Inuyasha. You're much cleverer than you give yourself credit for." She turned to Kagura. "_He_ explained a physics concept to _me_ the other day."

"That's because you suck at math, wench," Inuyasha retorted with a slight smirk.

"I do not!" Kagome protested. "I just have to work at it a little more. It doesn't come to me naturally like _some_ people!"

Inuyasha drew himself up and gave her a smug smile.

Kagura laughed and reached out a hand to lightly tousle Inuyasha's hair. "I'm glad to see you're recovering so well, Inuyasha," she said, smiling at him like a fond older sister.

"Yeah, yeah," Inuyasha muttered irritably as he waved away her hand, though a red tinge was left behind on his cheeks.

Kagome looked on at the touching scene with a smile until she felt a presence behind her.

"Excuse me," a smooth male voice spoke up.

Embarrassed, Kagome jumped to the side, allowing the newcomer to come further into the office. There actually turned out to be two men behind her, both immaculately dressed in black suits and looking quite severe. Until they saw Inuyasha, that was. Breaking out into a grin, the first man stepped forward and said, "Inuyasha!" as he swept up the boy's hand in a handshake. The other man similarly came forward to clap the boy on the shoulder. "Good man! How're you holding up?"

Inuyasha was having a hard time suppressing the grin on his lips. "I'm good, I'm good. Kagome, I'd like you to meet Mr. Hirozaki, the treasurer, and Mr. Yukimori, who works in the software development branch."

Kagome stepped forward with a smile and exchanged a formal greeting with each of the two men.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Kagome," Mr. Hirozaki said, "but I'm afraid we can't stay and chat. I just stopped by to pick up a few reports from Ms. Ishitaru."

Opposite from the men's reactions upon entering the room, all of the warmth seemed to have gone out of Kagura. Once in the presence of her colleagues, Kagura turned brisk and professional, giving the men her full attention. "Ah, yes, I was just finishing them up. I'll add a final note and then save them to your USP key. Inuyasha, this will likely take a few minutes. Why don't you and Kagome head in to see Sesshoumaru? I suspect he's waiting for you."

"Sure. Thanks, Kagura. See you later, Mr. Hirozaki, Mr. Yukimori," Inuyasha nodded to them and then made his way to the door to the right of Kagura's desk, Kagome keeping to his side. In an undertone, he said to her, "She keeps up the business persona around the other employees so they'll take her more seriously. Or so she says." He shrugged and pushed open the door that led the way into a grand office.

Despite the size of the room they entered next, no attempt had been made to give it a homey feel. It was cold and professional without a thing out of place. A few filing cabinets lined the walls, along with a few portraits of past presidents of the company. Two comfortable looking chairs were arranged artfully in front of a large ornate desk, which was bare except for a laptop and single picture frame facing the opposite way.

Behind the desk sat the most imposing man Kagome had ever seen, along with the most innocent looking girl Kagome had ever seen. The man had the same long silver hair as Inuyasha though his was fine and straight whereas Inuyasha's was thicker and messier. His gold eyes also matched Inuyasha's, though they were ice cold instead of fiery. His stern, no-nonsense expression was offset by the openly cheerful one of the girl standing next to him. She had bright brown eyes and chestnut coloured hair that went midway down her back.

Being simultaneously struck by the older man's intense stare and the younger girl's happy smile was an experience Kagome didn't quite know what to do with. In the end, she just smiled nervously and waited for someone else to break the tension.

"Hi, Uncle Inu!" Rin greeted him happily, breaking the awkward silence.

"Hey, Rin," the teenage boy responded, glancing at her briefly before locking eyes with the man beside her again.

"So, Inuyasha, you have come," the older, silver-haired man said in a voice devoid of emotion.

"Yeah, because _you_ called," Inuyasha retorted, clearly irritated. "So what's wrong with Rin? She looks fine to me."

"That's because you haven't lost your eyesight along with the rest of your brain function. There's nothing wrong with Rin," the man responded calmly.

Inuyasha grit his teeth and glared at him. "Kagome, meet my insufferable older brother, Sesshoumaru. And obviously the little girl is Rin." As the two girls exchanged smiles and small waves, Inuyasha continued pressing his brother. "So if there's nothing wrong with her, why the hell am I here?"

Sesshoumaru raised an eyebrow. "Why, for the pleasure of your company, of course."

Inuyasha eyed his brother's emotionless expression warily. "...Really?"

Sesshoumaru let out a delicate snort. "Don't be absurd. Your company is about as dry as a 1974 Chardonnay."

"You see?" Inuyasha demanded Kagome. "You see how he is?"

"I have a task for you, younger brother." Sesshoumaru tented his fingers and scrutinized Inuyasha closely.

"I'm not your dog, to do with as you please!" Inuyasha spat.

"The ears on your head and the fact that you rushed straight over after my vague phone call beg to differ," Sesshoumaru replied dryly.

Inuyasha clapped his hands over his furry ears and glared at his brother. "Well, you're a dog too!" he retorted weakly.

At this, Sesshoumaru seemed to deem Inuyasha no longer worthy of his attention and turned to Kagome instead. "Kagome, was it? Did he bring you along so as to have a witness to his humiliation and utter lack of wit? Or are you just here for aesthetics?"

Kagome didn't quite know how to respond to this. "I..."

"She's here so that if you called me here for something useless, we could ditch and go do something worth our while," Inuyasha cut in. Turning his back on his brother, he said, "C'mon, Kagome. Let's get out of here."

"Wonderful. While you're 'ditching', please be so kind as to take Rin along with you," the older brother said before focusing his attention back to his laptop.

Despite himself, Inuyasha found himself turning back around. "Say what now?"

"Though your eyesight remains useful, apparently that's not the case with your hearing. I said to take Rin with you," Sesshoumaru repeated flatly.

"But...how?" Inuyasha was clearly baffled.

Sesshoumaru sighed and nodded to Rin, who had been looking at him eagerly. Given the go-ahead, she grinned broadly. "The adoption papers went through, Uncle Inu!"

Inuyasha was dumbfounded. "R...really? Your...ours now?"

"If she were passed out to the highest bidder, yes, that would be how we would word it," Sesshoumaru said. "I'm not sure if you refer to Kagome here with the same terminology, but within this family, I'd like you to at least make an attempt at being politically correct."

"Tch, it's not much of a family anymore," Inuyasha said bitterly.

"Well, now that the adoption's come through, I'll be free to disown you. Then Rin and I should be quite content," Sesshoumaru replied smoothly.

"Hey!" Inuyasha protested. "You can't do that!"

The older brother brought one hand up to rub his temple. "Really, brother, your streak of gullibility never ceases to amaze me. Now take Rin and go bond."

Inuyasha fumed silently for a moment before daring to respond. "The adoption just went through and you're already shoving her off on me? Why aren't _you_ bonding with her?"

"What did you think I was doing for the past two years while you were lying like a useless lump in a hospital bed?" Sesshoumaru said sardonically. "The adoption came through unexpectedly and I haven't been able to rearrange my schedule accordingly. Now since I have an entire enterprise to run and you are out of school for the day, the ridiculous notion that Rin's new uncle might want to take care of her for a night and get to know her a little better occurred to me. Thankfully, I've now come to my senses and I'll just let her draw patterns in the carpet for the rest of the night instead. You're excused, Inuyasha. Enjoy your pathetic evening."

Kagome watched a guilty expression overcome Inuyasha's features as he looked over to Rin, whose eyes were downcast. "I...I'm sorry, Rin," he said slowly. "I shouldn't have been so insensitive. Would...would you like to hang out with Uncle Inuyasha and Kagome tonight?"

Rin looked up hopefully and, seeing Inuyasha smiling awkwardly at her, she nodded enthusiastically. "I sure would! Can we go to the park? And a movie? And–"

"Yes, yes, we'll do all of that," Inuyasha cut in.

"Splendid," Sesshoumaru said. "Then it's a date."

Inuyasha blanched. "A d-d-date? Now wait a minute..."

"Oh, just take Rin and go with your girlfriend out of my sight. I have work to do and you're taking up too much of the precious time I have to do it in." Turning to Rin, he adopted a gentler tone. "Behave yourself, Rin. I'll see you at home tonight."

"Okay, Uncle Sesshoumaru. I'll be a good girl," the little girl promised with a smile.

"C'mon, Rin," Inuyasha said wearily, turning once more towards the exit. "Let's get out of here."

As soon as they'd left the room, leaving a Sesshoumaru who was now ignoring their existence in favour of his laptop, Inuyasha slumped against the closed door, clutching his head. "I hate that guy," he moaned.

Kagura chuckled from her desk. The two other men from earlier were gone and she was once again the only employee in the waiting room. "Oh, Inuyasha. One day you two will get along."

"Ha!" Inuyasha barked. "That'll be the day. I really don't know what you see in him, Kagura. He's gotta be the worst human being on the face of the Earth."

"He's definitely _not_ the worst scum this Earth has to offer," Kagura objected sternly. "As well you know, Inuyasha."

Inuyasha looked at her for a moment before sighing. "Yeah, I know..."

"You...you still haven't remembered anything...from that night?" Kagura asked hesitantly.

Inuyasha raked a hand through his hair. "No...not really. Sometimes when I think about it really hard, I think I can hear someone yelling...but I can't tell who it is or what they're saying...and then my head starts to hurt like a–" he glanced at Rin out of the corner of his eye, "–like nothing else."

Kagura looked at him sympathetically. "Well, don't push yourself. I'm sure it'll come to you with time. And then we'll catch the ba–" she too eyed Rin, "–the bad man."

"Yeah, yeah," Inuyasha said, brushing her off. "It's just so frustrating! I was _there_! I should _know_ what happened! And yet every day that I can't remember is another day that guy roams free!"

Kagome slipped her hand into his and gave him a reassuring smile. "It's not your fault, Inuyasha, as I've already told you."

"That's right," Kagura agreed emphatically. "And don't you dare ever doubt that, Inuyasha. And as for 'that guy', he can't roam forever. We'll get him eventually, whether you end up remembering or not."

Inuyasha squeezed Kagome's hand and gave the secretary a weak smile. "Thanks, Kagura. I'll keep that in mind. For now, though, we have a little girl to entertain," he said, looking down at Rin.

"We're going to the park!" Rin informed the older woman.

"Really?" Kagura said. "You must be excited."

"I am! And then Uncle Inu's taking me to a movie!"

"Wow! That's awfully nice of Uncle Inu. Be sure to be a good girl for him," the secretary said, smiling kindly.

"I will! I already promised Uncle Sesshoumaru I would," Rin responded proudly.

"Well then, have a good time and I'll see you later. Inuyasha, it was good to see you again. Take care of yourself. Kagome, it was nice to meet you," Kagura said.

"You too, Kagura," Kagome answered politely.

"See you later," Inuyasha said with a small wave as they headed out the door.

As they stepped into the elevator down the hall, Kagome turned to Rin. "How come you refer to Sesshoumaru as 'uncle', Rin? Didn't he adopt you as his daughter?"

Rin looked up at her anxiously. "It's not that I don't love him!" she protested, then continued in a small voice, "But Sesshoumaru isn't my _real_ daddy..."

Kagome smiled. "I understand. But just like you, I don't think Sesshoumaru wants to replace your real father either. He's probably just happy taking care of you."

Inuyasha stared at her accusingly. "How can you say such fluffy things about that monster?"

Kagome pursed her lips and wondered how to deal with the two conflicting opinions of Sesshoumaru at once. "Well...he _did_ treat you unfairly, Inuyasha...but from what I can tell, he seems to care for Rin very much. To battle the adoption system for two years, it couldn't have been a passing fancy to take her in."

"I suppose," Inuyasha grumbled, crossing his arms. Once the elevator dinged and released them on the ground floor, he said, "C'mon, I'll lead you guys to a park I know."

They exited the futuristic building and followed the silver-haired boy down the street, trying to keep up with his fast pace. By the time they reached the park, the sky was beginning to darken. The days were shortening lately and evening came sooner now. Kagome gestured to the empty playground. "Go ahead and play, Rin. We have about half an hour before it gets really dark. After that, we'll go somewhere for dinner, okay?"

"Okay!" the girl chirped before running over and scampering up the jungle gym.

"You're good at that," Inuyasha said quietly.

"At what?"

"Handling little kids. I don't really know where to start."

"I_do_ have a younger brother, remember?" Kagome reminded him. "Though sometimes it feels like he takes more care of me than the other way around."

"You're lucky," Inuyasha said abruptly. "You've got a brother that actually likes you."

Kagome led the way over to a bench and sat down. "Sesshoumaru doesn't treat you wonderfully, but I'm not so sure he hates you. How could he, when you're the only blood relative he has left?"

"He's found a way," Inuyasha assured her. "He never liked me, not even before my coma. He was always picking on me, just because he was older, smarter and all around perfect, while I was the stupid, younger half-breed half-brother."

"Half?" Kagome said in surprise. "He's not your full brother then?"

Inuyasha snorted. "No. What, couldn't you recognize his oh so perfect breeding? He's a full demon, unmarred by 'filthy human blood'."

"Oh, that is just ridiculous!" Kagome fumed. "There are plenty of people out in the world with mixed blood nowadays. I mean, sure, they're not applauded for it, but they exist! And the number's growing every day. One day there'll no longer be a line between demons and humans, I'll bet. The only people who still care now are those with massive superiority complexes who think their blood is some sort of trophy. Don't tell me your brother actually told you you're inferior to him because of your blood?"

"Yeah. When I was four. If there's one memory I remember clearly when I was that young, it's that," Inuyasha said, fiddling with his hands. "It was my birthday and I'd had a big party with a bunch of my classmates from school. My Mom and Dad were there and it was one of the best days I'd ever had. I hadn't seen Sesshoumaru all day. After everyone had left later in the afternoon, I came across my brother when he came out of his room for a snack. He didn't say anything to me and so I asked him if he wasn't going to wish me a happy birthday. He said what I told you, that he was a full demon of the purest lineage and he shouldn't even have to _acknowledge_ a filthy little half-blood like me, much less wish me a _happy_ birthday."

Kagome put a hand to her mouth. "That's awful... I'm sorry...when I met him back there, he didn't seem the type to make airs like that...especially since he's adopted Rin. He's rather...unpredictable, isn't he?"

"That's a cute word for it," Inuyasha said sarcastically. "Try 'he's an asshole I'll never understand'."

Kagome nodded in silence, watching as Rin abandoned the jungle gym in favour of the swings. "What were your parents like, Inuyasha? I'll bet_they_ were great people."

"They were!" Inuyasha said earnestly, and suddenly Kagome got the impression of a child bragging. "My mom was the nicest woman you could ever meet. She helped out at all these charities, see, and volunteered for all these causes, never expecting anything in return. And she was the prettiest lady I'd ever seen. None of the other kids' moms came close.

"And my dad! Dad was so awesome – he just exuded this powerful aura about him, all the time. It was like he was challenging the whole world and at the same time warning it not to mess with him. Everyone respected him and he deserved it, 'cause he was super smart. But he was also really nice to me, see. He always had time to go out into the backyard and throw around a baseball. He was the greatest dad ever."

As Inuyasha spoke, he seemed to light up, eagerly boasting about his parents to Kagome, trying to impress her as much as possible. Kagome watched the transformation in his face, voice and attitude with fascination, never having seen this side of Inuyasha before. She smiled softly. "It sounds like they loved you very much, Inuyasha. You were lucky to have them."

"For as long as I did, right? That's what you wanted to say, wasn't it?" Inuyasha said, snapping back to his usual self and shrewdly guessing what she was thinking. Kagome blinked and then nodded slowly. Inuyasha sighed and leaned back on the bench. "Sounds like we both had great parents. How come they had to be taken away so soon?"

"That I don't have an answer to," Kagome said sadly, gazing distantly into the setting sun. "But we're not the only victims of that fate," she added quietly as Rin came back towards them, looking tired but happy.

"Had enough, Rin?" Inuyasha asked once she had reached them. "Ready to go?"

Rin nodded enthusiastically. "I'm starving!"

"Well then, let's be off!" Kagome said, standing up. "Sounds like it's fast food time to me."

..:V:..

After having wandered around downtime for a time, the three had settled on a restaurant and headed inside. "Hi, welcome to Wacdonald's," the cashier greeted them dutifully.

Rin tugged on Inuyasha's sleeve. When he ducked down, she gave the cashier a shy look and then whispered in his ear, "I want the kid's meal!"

Kagome had already started to order. "I'll have the number one combo with root beer, and..." she looked at the two behind her expectantly.

"Two kid's meals," Inuyasha answered promptly.

Both Kagome and the cashier raised an eyebrow. "Are you sure that'll fill you up, Inuyasha?" Kagome asked at the same time as the server said, "Kid's meals are generally reserved for the kids, sir..."

Inuyasha turned red in embarrassment. "F-fine. Just give me what she's having then," he said, indicating Kagome.

"That'll be $11.50 then."

Once they had paid with Inuyasha's credit card, funded by Sesshoumaru, and received their food, they made their way to an empty table by the window.

Rin ignored her food at first in favour of opening her new toy, which turned out to be a race car. Kagome caught Inuyasha watching forlornly as she played with it, and gave him a puzzled look.

"Rin, weren't you hungry?" she said gently, addressing the little girl.

"Oh yeah!" Rin exclaimed as if she's forgotten.

"We'd better eat up if we want to catch an earlier showing movie," Kagome said, starting in on her fries.

Inuyasha remained silent throughout their meal, wolfing down his food and gazing sullenly out the window. This left Kagome to chat with Rin, asking questions ranging from her favourite things to her life at school.

When they had finally finished, they threw out their garbage and headed out in the city once more. Inuyasha first led them to where he remembered a movie theatre being before his coma. In the five years following, however, it turned out to have been shut down, which left Inuyasha angry and frustrated.

Kagome quickly asked a passerby for directions to the nearest movie cinema, which happened to be only a few blocks down, and they made their way there.

Luckily, there was a kid's film playing shortly and so they entered the line for the fast lane, where they could use their own touch screen to buy their tickets and pay once again with Inuyasha's credit card.

When it was their turn, they selected the movie they wanted and looked at their ticket options:

Child (12 and under) – $6.40

Youth (13-17) – $8.40

Adult (18-64) – $9.40

Golden Age (65 and up) – $6.40

"Tch," Inuyasha scoffed, pressing one child ticket and two youth. "I used to be able to get a child ticket..." he muttered under his breath so the other two couldn't hear.

The movie turned out to be rather cute, and full of light humour. Kagome and Inuyasha were kept entertained, even though the intended audience was clearly much younger than themselves. As a member of that intended audience, Rin absolutely loved it and had her eyes glued to the screen the entire time. The only exceptions were when she would tug on her new uncle's sleeve beside her and demand if he "just saw that?" At these times, Inuyasha would nod wearily and direct her attention back to the film.

When they exited the auditorium, Rin announced that she had to go to the bathroom. Kagome offered to accompany her if Inuyasha would wait for them in the main lobby.

Inuyasha was leaning against a wall, trying to ignore the general populace around him, when one voice rang above the rest.

"Oh no, my lip gloss!" A small tube rolled towards Inuyasha and bumped against his feet. A girl came rushing after it, her sleek black bob of a haircut and low-cut top being her most prominent features. She bent down low to pick up her lost cosmetic and gave Inuyasha an ample view as she straightened back up. Inuyasha tried to avert his eyes as much as possible, though now she was smiling broadly at him.

"Sorry about that; my lip gloss got away from me." She held up the culprit.

"S'okay," Inuyasha grunted, preparing to go back to ignoring her existence.

"Hey, I love your hair. Is that your natural colour?"

"Yeah," Inuyasha responded, not knowing whether to be proud or irritated.

"Awesome," she said in awe, reaching out to rub a few strands between her fingers. "It's so soft and silky. You must take really good care of it."

Inuyasha reached out and freed his hair from her grasp, definitely irritated now. "I do."

The girl ignored his tone as her eyes travelled upwards. "Hey, cool ears!"

Inuyasha raised an eyebrow. "My friend thinks they're 'cute'," he muttered.

"Cute?" the girl said in surprise before giving him a coy smile. "No way – I think they're sexy."

Inuyasha's other eyebrow shot up and they proceeded to race each other to his hairline. "S-s-sexy?" he demanded in shock.

"Yeah, to match the rest of you," the girl continued shamelessly.

Inuyasha spluttered for a moment, bright red and having no idea what to say.

The girl laughed lightly and held out her hand. "I'm Yura. Nice to meet cha!"

Extremely uncomfortable but not knowing what else to do, Inuyasha hesitantly held out his hand. Yura promptly grabbed it and flipped it over, a pen appearing in her other hand in a flash. "Here, I'll give you my number."

At this, Inuyasha yanked his hand back and glared daggers at her. "What's wrong with you? Get away from me!"

"What's going on here?"

Kagome and Rin had returned, the former looking back and forth between Inuyasha and Yura in confusion.

Inuyasha pointed an accusing finger at Yura. "This...this harlot is forcing herself on me!"

Yura stared back at him in shock. "Why...why you! Can't you handle a little flirting, you inconsiderate ass? I can't believe I wasted my time on you! I'm out of here!"

With that, she spun around and stomped off in a rage.

Kagome blinked, feeling as if she'd missed something to explain the situation. "Inuyasha..."

"Let's get out of here. We've got to take Rin back to Sesshoumaru's place," was all Inuyasha said.

"Okay..." she said slowly, confused.

They caught a bus nearby to take them to Sesshoumaru's home. Rin's energy seemed to give out finally, and she started to doze off, her head resting on Kagome's shoulder. When they arrived at their stop, Inuyasha hauled the sleepy girl onto his back and they walked the rest of the way to Sesshoumaru's house.

The house was everything Sesshoumaru was – poised, elegant and perfect. To Kagome's surprise, it was not a gigantic mansion like his wealth predicted, but a much smaller version, as if more suited to be a home rather than bragging rights. Kagome supposed this was due to Rin, and the thought that the seemingly cold man would care for her in such a way made her smile.

Nevertheless, despite its smaller stature, the house was definitely located in the pricier end of town and it did not hesitate in displaying its grandiose architecture and flawless gardens.

"Wow...quite the house," she whistled in appreciation.

"Yeah..." Inuyasha muttered, leading the way up to the door. He opened it without knocking and then called out for his brother once they were inside.

Sesshoumaru came gliding out of a room at the end of the hall, regarding them critically. He took Rin from Inuyasha's back without a word and turned towards the staircase. Pausing on the first step, he looked back at them. "It's late. You two will stay here tonight."

"You can't just decide that!" Inuyasha protested.

"Er...Sesshoumaru, sir, the school keeps track of where we are every night," Kagome said, trying to explain more politely.

"I've already informed your school," Sesshoumaru replied, giving her a piercing stare. "Unless the two of you would prefer hard dorm beds, of course."

Inuyasha glared at him for a moment before crossing his arms and grumbling, "We'll stay."

"Then you know where your room is, and I'll reluctantly trust you to show your friend to the guest room." Without another word, he climbed the stairs and disappeared out of sight.

Kagome and Inuyasha looked at each other for a moment before Inuyasha sighed and led the way to an adjacent room. "C'mon...it's only 9:30. Let's watch TV or something."

But as they sat down on the incredibly comfortable couch facing a massive flat screen TV, Inuyasha only stared blankly ahead, not even turning it on. Kagome fidgeted for a moment, not knowing what he was thinking. She was informed soon enough when all his thoughts concerning the incident at the movie theatre seemed to spill out at once.

"Can you believe that girl? She was practically jumping on me, flashing me and everything!"

"It wasn't _that_ bad," Kagome said, somewhat amused. "She was just flirting with you. Maybe she was a little too forward than necessary, and perhaps her cleavage was more evident than most, but she was just trying to get your attention."

This didn't seem to calm Inuyasha, but rather agitated him further. "Why? Why? Why's she thinkin' about that kind of stuff?"

"Inuyasha...?" Kagome asked, not understanding what he was getting at.

"We're not old enough for that kind of stuff!" he continued, becoming more and more distressed. He stood up from the couch and gestured wildly. "She wanted to date and kiss and who knows what else!"

Kagome knew she was definitely missing something now. "How are you not old enough to date? You're seventeen years old, Inuyasha!"

"I'm not!" he shouted. "I'm twelve!"

A shocked silence followed this declaration. Kagome watched as a broken expression stole over Inuyasha's features. "I'm twelve, Kagome..."

Kagome got to her feet slowly. "Inuyasha..." The boy met her gaze briefly before spinning around and making a beeline for the door. Her voice stopped him. "Inuyasha! Please...talk to me."

When he looked back at her, there was no end to the depth of sadness in his eyes. "It's so different now..."

"What is?" she asked softly.

"Everything!" he suddenly flared up. "Everything's so different! Five years were taken away from me, Kagome! I don't recognize anything anymore! The city's all changed around! My brother's so much older than I remember him – and now he has a child! None of my old friends are around! I–I don't even recognize myself anymore... My face looks different...my hair's so much longer... I don't even recognize my own voice..."

Kagome looked at the crestfallen boy in front of her and felt her heart go out to him. Suddenly things she hadn't noticed before were brought into sharp relief. Inuyasha, who had always seemed so strong in the face of her own pain; Inuyasha, who had always faced his own hardships with gruffness and defiance; Inuyasha, who her younger brother looked up to with admiration; Inuyasha, who had comforted her when she cried; Inuyasha...who with one night's sleep, had lost his parents and five years of his life.

"I kept trying to remind myself I'm different now and I have to live with it... I haven't cut my hair so that I always have to face it. I try to keep up in school. I try to talk to Miroku as if I were his age, and had in-depth opinions like him. I keep trying to be older than I feel...but it's so hard, Kagome... it's so hard. My body's all different and nothing's familiar...and my parents are both gone."

He was always so abrasive and rude about everything in general that Kagome had never considered such a thing was hurting him deep inside. She took it to be his nature and his defence against past pain; she had never imagined it was shielding him from such current wounds. She realized now that he must struggle every day with these thoughts, these disconcerting circumstances. What could she possibly say to make him feel better?

She started to remember now every instance since their meeting where she felt as if she were talking more to a kid than someone his age. She had taken it for adorable immaturity, but now she was starting to realize the truth. Every time he complained about not understanding a concept in class, every time he sulked at not getting his way, every time he blushed if a girl got too close, every time he had become overenthusiastic over something small, every time that sad look had come into his eyes when he talked of something from his childhood... These were times Inuyasha was slipping back into his twelve year old mind set, a time he couldn't regain, but the only time he had felt safe and secure.

The thought of his daily torture and insecurity nearly broke her heart. Tears stung her eyes and for the first time in her life, she completely forgot about her own pain to blindly empathize with another's. Without a word, she stepped towards him, reaching out with her hands. She cradled his face, looking so lost and broken, in her hands, and then stood on her tiptoes and kissed him.

It wasn't a passionate kiss, but rather one of friendship, of comfort. It was for reassurance; reassurance that she was there, that she cared, and that he wasn't alone. Her lips pressed softly on his for a long moment before pulling away, leaving her tears on his cheek. Still silent, she wrapped her arms around his neck and buried her face in its crook. Feeling his heartache ease, Inuyasha didn't give a thought to being embarrassed, but instead hugged her back fiercely.

A choked sob escaped his throat, but it was the only sign of grief he would allow himself. He clung to Kagome tighter, willing his weakness to pass in the face of her offered strength.

Nothing had changed between them, but he was comforted. Comforted to know that she now understood his constant pain and that she would stay by him to help him through it. He may have lost his entire world of the past, but she was here now to help him build his future.

* * *

A/N Wow...like holy jeez. How about that, huh? 20 pages long and a kiss at the end! Did anyone expect that, 'cause I sure didn't! There was no kiss planned, but Kagome stood up and by god, she was determined to do it.

Well, I hope you enjoyed this chapter and that it's a fair compensation for the hiatus – an insanely long chapter AND a kiss. AND a whole new slew of characters.

C'mon, what'd you think of Sesshoumaru? Did you love him? 'Cause I sure did writing him. Anyways, I've gotta get this posted and head off to class so if there's anyone left reading this, tell me what you thought and I'll try to update again as soon as I can! Ciao for now!


	11. Anniversary

Disclaimer: Inuyasha may belong to Rumiko Takahashi, but I stole the puppeteer strings!

A/N Howdy everybody! I didn't think I'd get this one out until the holidays, but there was studying to be done, so naturally that meant I started writing instead! Of course, utter boredom in class helped this chapter a lot too. I wrote it in bits and pieces while in class, and then typed those up and wrote in the scenes that joined them together. I am very impressed with myself over this chapter, so I hope you all like it too. You guys all seemed to like last chapter, and really, that started out as just a filler! So now let's get started with this bit of awesomeness!

* * *

Kagome's boots crunched on the gravel beneath her feet as she stepped out of the taxi. She looked up at the familiar surroundings, sighing as she felt the inescapable pull it held for her. She heard Souta climb out of the other side of the vehicle and turned to close her car door. Once her brother had done the same, the taxi drove off, kicking up a cloud of dust behind it.

The raven haired girl looked forward once more, feeling a dull ache rise in her heart. "Souta...do you think it's wrong that the place that holds the most attachment for us is a cemetery?"

"Not when the most important people to us lie there," he responded quietly. "Come on. Let's go greet Mom and Dad."

Kagome made a soft sound of agreement and started walking towards their solemn destination. It was the ninth anniversary of their parents' death and she and Souta had travelled back to their hometown to visit their graves. Kaede had acquiesced to give them the day off from school in order for them to make this trip and they had been very grateful. Kagome had told her friends about the day and though they had offered to accompany her, despite not having permission themselves, she had declined, saying it was a private matter for her and Souta.

She trudged up the slope towards the hundreds of graves, her heart sinking with each step. It was the ninth year...the ninth time to face her parents on the day of their death and silently wonder if they could ever forgive her... the ninth time she would stare down at the graves of those she'd lost and wonder if she could ever move on. If there would ever be a day when she would recall their faces and smile, instead of weep over her failure.

Before she knew it, they had arrived at the modest plot where their parents rested. Kagome stared down at the cold grave, willing no memories to come back to her this year. She clenched her teeth and steered her thoughts towards the happy times with her parents, the times before her own personal nightmare began.

Her father's face rose up in her mind, smiling fondly in her memory. Before she could truly appreciate it, however, his eyes grew wide and glassy and his mouth gaped open in shock.

Kagome shook herself and instead focused on her mother. She imagined her dark brown hair with relief, her warm, brown eyes, the trickle of blood leaking out from the corner of her loving smile.

Kagome gave a small intake of breath, Souta slipped his hand into hers for support, and the memories came flooding back.

"_Kagome honey, it's time for bed," the warm, honeyed voice in her memory called._

_Kagome remembered pouting from her perch on the couch. "But Mommy, I'm not tired!"_

"_Now, now, Kagome, you know the rule. When it's bedtime, we've got to go to bed, whether or not we're tired, so that we'll have enough energy to play tomorrow."_

_Kagome pouted again, but shuffled off the couch. "Okay..."_

"_That's my good girl," her mother smiled, holding her baby brother, fast asleep in her arms._

_Kagome followed her mother up the stairs, quickly brushing her teeth and changing into her pajamas. Despite her earlier protest, as soon as her head hit the pillow, she was fast asleep._

_Her dreams were particularly scary that night. Lately she'd been having nightmares of her parents on the ground, completely still. Their eyes were wide open but glassy, and they lay next to each other in a pool of shared blood. Whenever these dreams would visit Kagome, she would wake up crying and immediately search out her parents, seeking their comfort and reassuring herself they were both safe and alive._

_Tonight the dream came again, but almost with more urgency, if that was possible. She could see nothing at first, only darkness surrounded her. But she could hear. Angry voices came out of the darkness, then sounds of struggle. A loud bang sounded, then a woman screaming, which was soon silenced by another bang. Then the thick blackness faded and the familiar scene of her dead parents appeared before Kagome's eyes once more._

_Someone was shaking her awake and she could already feel the tears on her cheeks. "Mommy, Mommy!" she cried, reaching out for the familiar presence._

"_Shhh," her mother hushed her urgently. "You must be quiet now, Kagome. Someone's in the house, and he mustn't know you're here."_

_Kagome's tears subsided with a few hiccups. "Someone...in the house?"_

"_Yes, dear. Shhh...it'll be alright. Your father's gone down to deal with him."_

_Kagome's eyes opened wide, recalling her dream. "A bad man in the house? Oh no, Mommy, you have to stop Daddy. Make him come back, Mommy, make him come back!"_

"_Hush, honey, hush. You father will be fine." Against her words, however, a worried expression stole over her features. "But perhaps I'd better check on him all the same. Here, dear, take your younger brother and stay completely silent, okay? Stay quiet and safe. I love you."_

_Kagome trembled, wanting to protest, but cowed by her fear. She took Souta from her mother with shaking hands, keeping silent. Her mother gave her one more reassuring smile before slipping out the door._

_Kagome stood in the darkness, holding her brother tightly and listening for any sounds she could hear coming from outside the room. Soon a loud angry voice rang out and Kagome realized her mother hadn't reached her father in time: he was confronting the intruder. As another angry voice answered in turn, a feeling of dread crept into Kagome's stomach._

_Her mother's words flew out of her head as Kagome rushed for the door. She ran down the hallway towards the stairs, tears blurring her vision. She saw her mother quietly reaching the bottom of the staircase ahead of her. In the entrance hall below, Kagome saw a terrible scene. Her father, a dropped baseball bat at his feet, was being held at gunpoint but a scrappy looking stranger. In a panic, she sobbed and scuffled forwards as fast as she could, Souta cradled in her arms._

_Her mother heard her behind her and turned around with a frantic expression. "Kagome, no!" she cried out in desperation._

_Everything seemed to happen at once. The intruder, who hadn't been aware of Mrs. Higurashi's presence, snapped his head towards her. Meanwhile, Kagome's father took this moment of surprise to try and wrestle the gun away. The intruder's attention snapped back to the father and he panicked, his finger squeezing the trigger._

_Mr. Higurashi stumbled back in shock, his hands pressed to the bleeding wound in his chest. He fell to the ground without a word._

"_NOOO!" Kagome's mother screamed, rushing forward. At the sight of her running towards him, the intruder once again panicked and another shot rang out. Mrs. Higurashi fell, her chest wound matching her husband's._

"_D-Daddy...! M-Mommy...!" Kagome sobbed, slowly coming down the stairs. The intruder, his hand shaking, looked up at her in dismay._

_Kagome looked down at her parents' bodies, exactly as she'd seen them in her dream, and then looked directly into the face of their killer. Souta had awoken and was crying in her arms._

_The killer didn't look like a killer at all. He looked worn, his clothes dirty, but his face was clean and almost distinguished. His expression as he looked back at her was one of the most intense regret Kagome had ever seen in her life._

_He held eye contact with her for a moment more before dashing out of the house._

_Kagome hesitantly moved forward, as if in a dream. Her parents were completely still and their wide, empty eyes stared back at her. She dropped to her knees in their sticky blood, clutched Souta close to her, and cried her heart out._

_The police had found her that way five minutes later. Apparently her mother had phoned them before waking her up. With much coaxing, they managed to get her away from her parents' bodies and into the care of a kindly female police officer._

Kagome shuddered and came back to herself for a moment. She took a deep breath to keep the tears at bay and gripped Souta's hand more tightly. With trepidation, she recalled the day of the killer's trial when she testified against him.

"_Alright, Kagome, right this way. Nothing to fear, dear, we're just going to ask you a few questions. Just put your hand on this bible and repeat after me."_

_After she had sworn in, Kagome had been led up to the witness stand, where a booster seat had been provided for her. She was seven years old now, but still quite small._

_The prosecutor smiled kindly at her before beginning. "Hi, Kagome."_

"_Hi," she responded in a small voice, daunted by the large courtroom before her._

"_How are you today?"_

"_G-good."_

"_That's a very pretty dress, Kagome. Is it new?"_

"_Yes. Ms. Cornwall just got it for me," Kagome boasted with a small smile._

"_The people will note that Ms. Cornwall is the owner of the orphanage where Kagome and her younger brother Souta now live." Turning back to the young girl, the prosecutor continued, "Now, Kagome, could you describe the events as you remember them that occurred on the night of December 8__th__?"_

_The smile had slipped from Kagome's face. Brows furrowed in hate, she replied, "A bad man snuck into my house and took away my parents."_

_The prosecutor tried a different approach. "On the night when this happened, what do you remember happening first?"_

"_My mommy woke me up from a bad dream," Kagome replied hesitantly._

"_And what happened next?"_

"_She said there was a bad man in the house and that Daddy had gone down to see him."_

"_And then what?"_

"_Mommy gave me Souta and went down to see if Daddy was okay. But then I got scared and followed after her. When Mommy called out to me, the bad man shot Daddy! When Mommy went to see Daddy, the bad man shot her too! ...Then he ran away."_

"_Did you get a good look at the bad man's face, Kagome?"_

_The little girl nodded furiously. "Yes!"_

"_And do you see him in the courtroom today?"_

"_Yes!"_

"_Could you point to him please?"_

_Kagome raised a small finger to point at a man behind a desk across the room. "That man! He killed my Mommy and Daddy! He took them away from me! It's his fault they're gone! It's all his fault!" Angry tears spilled down her quivering cheeks as she glared at the killer._

"_Objection!" the defendant's lawyer exclaimed._

"_The jury will disregard the witness's last statements," the judge intoned._

"_No... Wait..." a soft voice sounded out. The defendant, the killer, stood up slowly. "She's right. I want to change my plea. I did it. I killed this little girl's parents. I'm guilty."_

_A stunned silence followed this statement, before the defendant's lawyer stood up. "Objection, your honour! My client doesn't understand the implications of his words."_

"_N-no," the killer protested. "I do. I didn't mean to kill them, but I panicked and the gun went off! When I saw the little girl and her brother, I couldn't believe what I'd just done. I was only a petty burglar...I never wanted to be a murderer."_

_The judge slammed his mallet down. "The court will take a recess. Councillors, I want to see you in my chambers immediately."_

_Kagome gazed around confused before the assistant district attorney beckoned her down from the stand. As she was being led towards the aisle between the pews, the killer stepped out in front of her. She looked up in fear, but there was only despair in his eyes._

"_I can never express enough my sorrow of what I've done," he said slowly. "I've committed a treacherous crime I can never take back... I only hope jail can adequately punish me for what I've taken away from you. Kagome, I am so sorry."_

_Kagome stared at him wide-eyed for a few moments before a hateful expression crossed her face. "No!" she screeched. "Don't say my name like that! You took Daddy and Mommy away! You're not a good person! I won't forgive you, not ever!" Hot tears coursed down her cheeks as she fought the grip of the ADA beside her. "You killed them! It's your fault! Why are you sorry? You can't be sorry! I hate you, I hate you! I wish you'd died instead!"_

_As Kagome collapsed and dissolved into tears, the killer, with a shocked, despairing expression, was led out of the courtroom. The ADA tried to move the sobbing girl, but she was beyond reason._

_That man. He was the reason her Mommy and Daddy were gone. But he was sorry. He didn't mean it. She couldn't hate him... But she_wanted_ to hate him. She _needed_ to hate him. Because..._

_Memories of the dreams she'd had flashed through her head; memories of her parents dead on the floor, of her having seen it coming, of her doing nothing to stop it._

_Quietly, so that not even the ADA by her side could hear her, she sobbed, "I wish _I_'d died instead..."_

_She had needed to hate him. But it was an accident and he hadn't meant it. She felt her anger slip away as she was lost to her sorrow._

_Without him to hate, there was no one left to blame but herself._

Souta looked up at his sister as tears silently streamed out of her tightly shut eyes. He regarded her sadly, wondering what could be going through her mind this year. He had no doubt it involved the night of their parents' murder, but he could not recall that night himself. As he gazed silently at her, he wondered what could have happened. She never spoke of it except to say that she had foreseen it and done nothing. She blamed the entire incident on herself. So he knew that whenever they came here, she was replaying that night in her head and berating herself yet again. But he didn't know why she took the blame upon herself so fully, or why she kept the darkest of her secrets to herself.

He supposed that even to him, she was wont to conceal some secrets. Even though he had assured her he could never think badly of her, she was bound to keep the greatest shame and guilt to herself. Another reason might be that she didn't want to worry him further, and burden him with her problems. Souta's brows furrowed at this thought. It worried him more when she kept things from him and carried the pain by herself. He wished more than anything that he could remember the night their parents had died, so that he could at least take some of that blame onto himself somehow.

It frustrated him to no end that he didn't know how to help his sister. Even when he _was_ there and aware during the next two deaths, he couldn't seem to do anything to help. He listened to her worries and her grief, but other than offering her his support, he didn't know how to alleviate her pain. She continued to suffer and he continued to watch in agony. She was his whole world. He thought and cared about her more than anything and his inability to help her caused him more pain than he'd ever admit.

This reasoning was perhaps why the effect Inuyasha had on his sister was more obvious to him than to either of the two involved. Her smiles these days had become almost commonplace and she rarely dwelt on her troubled past. Whether this was because her guilt had been alleviated somewhat, or she was simply becoming too distracted to constantly think about it, Souta had to attribute both of these possibilities to Inuyasha's presence. He was almost jealous of the comfort Inuyasha brought her, and yet seeing her happy lifted the heavy weight in his chest that had been with him for several years now. For this reason above all others, he admired the older boy and saw him as his own personal hero.

But despite the relief Kagome had been experiencing lately, Souta knew this day was different. This was the day their parents had been killed. This day would bring back the memories to Kagome full force. The three days of the year when she hurt the most were the death anniversaries of her parents and two friends. As their parents' deaths were the very first she'd failed to prevent and they had haunted her the longest, Souta knew the pain on this day was even more excruciating. The torturous thoughts of self blame and hatred followed her like a cloud on this day and her dreams at night were particularly intense. Souta knew he wouldn't be able to sleep that night. He would worriedly await her in his room, ready to comfort and love her until the desperate tears abated. It was all he was capable of doing.

Kagome sank to her knees beside him and buried her face in her hands. "It's my fault...it's all my fault... Mom, Dad, Kikyo, Hojo... Oh god, it's all my fault..."

Souta blinked furiously to hold back his own tears as he watched her shoulders shudder from her sobs. He knelt down beside her and wrapped his small arms around her shaking frame. Burying his face in her neck and shoulder, he kept repeating, "It's alright, Kagome, it's alright... I'm here, it's alright..."

He always felt at his worst when he lied to his sister.

..:V:..

Inuyasha muttered a few choice phrases under his breath as he closed his Calculus textbook for the night. It was beyond him why Sesshoumaru thought it would be a good idea to sign him up for some of the hardest courses after having been asleep for the past five years. Did he think it was funny or something, to see him suffer? Inuyasha snorted. He doubted "funny" was even in Sesshoumaru's vocabulary. Sadism, on the other hand, wasn't a stretch...

As he stared down at his shut textbook, the thoughts that had been whirling around his head during the course of the day came back to him. Specifically, thoughts about Kagome.

She had announced to the group yesterday that she and Souta would be visiting their parents' grave today and thus, be absent. It concerned him that she didn't want any of them accompanying her. From her reactions in the past, he knew this would be a difficult day for her, and he paled at the thought of the state it might leave her in. But he couldn't support her if he wasn't even there. In chagrin, he had been forced to have faith in her younger brother, hoping no overly negative thoughts would plague her while he was by her side. Despite his grudging affection for the younger boy, however, he had little hope of this actually being true. Souta had been with her through all of her trials, and he had seen the state she was in when she first came to the school.

And so he had been on pins and needles all day, his mind anywhere but where his body was, and his mouth snapping at anyone who so much as looked at him the wrong way. Sango and Miroku hadn't dared comment on his mood, though they had equally troubled expressions on their faces so Inuyasha supposed they considered him the least of their concerns.

Despite the two of them not knowing Kagome's past, the fact alone that she was visiting her parents' graves alerted them to the potential trouble. Both of them could see her fragile state, and there was no telling what damage such an event could inflict. It was to their credit they did not try to pry more information out of him as, with their intellect and observation skills, they could tell that one, he and she were quite close and two, he knew a lot more than they did. But they knew that if she hadn't told them of her past herself, they had no right to it and so they respected her wishes and kept their concerns to themselves.

Inuyasha was downright restless by the time Souta had returned to their dorm later that night. He was on his feet in a flash, but the younger boy had shook his head in warning. "It's been a rough day," he said quietly. "I just took her to her room and she's going to sleep. Please don't disturb her now."

Despite his reluctance, Inuyasha had swallowed thickly and nodded. Rest was probably best for her right now, though Souta's allusion to a rough day had heightened his concerns. To mask his frustration, he'd abruptly sank down in his desk chair and pulled out his homework.

His mind had kept straying, however. He wasn't sure what it was, but ever since their night out with Rin five days ago, his concern for her had intensified. He had been deeply impressed by her that night and for the first time, felt that she was actually the older one between them. She had offered such strength and comfort to him and he was at a loss to what state he would have been in without her. Now he wished he could repay that somehow, offer his strength when she was feeling vulnerable. But Kagome had just faced an especially rough day, and he wasn't even able to see her. Being kept from her like this was making him anxious.

Inuyasha looked down at his English homework. _Describe three ways Christian knew he was in love with Andrea._ Only a three second stare was enough to elicit a faint blush across the bridge of his nose. With a growl of annoyance, he shoved his English away and pulled out his math. That was the other new development that had occurred since Friday. Anything love or romance related immediately brought back thoughts of that kiss she'd given him and it was at this point that something would stir within him and his brain would essentially cease functioning.

It wasn't that it had been a romantic kiss, or that he'd thought of anything about it at the time other than being a form of comfort. It had been an outlet of strength, a way of Kagome showing she shared his pain and was there for him. It was even as a mother might kiss her child to soothe his distress.

But the simple fact of the matter was was that Kagome was _not_ his mother. And the mere thought of Kagome kissing him in any way, shape or form was enough to stain his cheeks crimson. Every time he thought back to that night, he was immediately in the mind frame of a twelve year old being kissed by an older girl. An older, extremely pretty girl. Inuyasha sighed. It would be his ruin if he kept on with this train of thought. He was happy enough just being friends with her, and it was lucky enough they were able to be friends in the first place, with all the troubles they'd been through. He wouldn't have been constantly plagued with these troubling thoughts in the first place if things like his stupid English homework didn't keep reminding him.

After all, it _hadn't_ been a romantic kiss. And it wasn't one likely to be repeated. Inuyasha just had to be sure to keep telling himself that. Because she was his best friend. And that was all.

Inuyasha stared hard at his blank notebook before furiously picking his pencil up and flipping to the right page in his textbook. All this thinking was taking him to places he didn't want to go and distraction via work seemed to be the best idea at the moment.

His calculus homework had started out well enough and he'd been solving problems he easily understood. But as he got further into it, the problems increased in difficulty and he soon found himself struggling. The old feeling of frustration began rising in him once again, and with it, thoughts of his outburst on Friday. This inevitably brought him right back where he started before using math as a distraction.

And it was at this point he decided to leave the rest of his homework for tomorrow and go to bed. His brain had suffered enough already.

As he came out of the bathroom, clad in his pajamas and boasting a freshly brushed mouth, he noticed Souta was sitting on his bed and making no show of going to sleep. Raising a brow at him as he turned out his light, he said gruffly, "You'd better go to bed, kid. It's late."

Souta looked at him solemnly before reaching to click off his own light. "You're right," was all he said.

Inuyasha settled down in his sheets and closed his eyes. But even as he felt sleep slowly creep upon him, he noticed Souta hadn't made a move to lie down and a funny feeling in his gut told him the boy was waiting for something...

..:V:..

_Darkness filled her vision. It blocked her senses and disoriented her completely. But as she watched, a familiar scene unfolded before her._

_It was the night her parents died. She watched it like a movie, from a third perspective. A sinking feeling started in her stomach; she knew the inevitable ending of this horror scene._

_As she watched her own little figure cry out for her mother to bring her father back, a voice spoke at her ear._

"_You see that, Kagome? That's where you killed me."_

_Shaking, Kagome turned her head to see her mother beside her, smiling bitterly. "M-mom...?" she choked._

_As the woman before her stepped back, the bleeding hole in her chest was directly apparent. Kagome gasped out loud, but her mother paid her no heed as she looked down at the scene once again._

"_You knew what was going to happen. You had seen it coming for months –_months_ – beforehand. But the first chance you got, you sent me to my death."_

_Kagome felt tears prick her eyes. "I didn't, Mommy, I didn't! I-I didn't know! I'd just had the scary dream and I was afraid for Daddy! I just wanted him next to me, safe!" Kagome pled desperately, needing her mother's forgiveness._

"_Didn't know?" her mother mocked. "You knew then, didn't you?" She pointed a finger at the younger Kagome running after her mother, Souta in her arms._

"_I-I was just trying to save you, Mommy! I didn't want you and Daddy to die! I wanted to prevent it!"_

"_Prevent it?" a new, cold voice said in disdain. Kagome turned with dread to see her father standing behind her, the bullet hole gaping in his chest and the red blood staining his shirt. "You did a fine job, little daughter."_

_Kagome winced at his harsh tone. "I-I'm sorry, Daddy. I did my best...I tried my hardest..I...I..."_

"_Did your best?" he sneered. "You didn't just do nothing when you saw the visions, you caused our deaths yourself!"_

_Kagome collapsed to her knees, tears streaming down her face. "I'm sorry, Daddy. I'm sorry, Mommy. I just didn't understand...I didn't understand what the visions meant until it was too late!"_

"_Didn't understand?" her mother shrieked. "Could they have been more obvious? Did we really have to die for you to get a clue?"_

"_How foolish of us. We never thought we raised a stupid daughter," her father said as Kagome shrank away._

_In a meek voice with hardly any conviction, she said, "I was only six... I didn't even know it was possible those visions could predict what was to come. It was the first time...how was I to know?"_

_A high, cold laugh rang out. "Does the second time not count either then?"_

_Kagome spun around on the ground, looking up at her old school friend in disbelief. "K-Kikyo!"_

"_You understood what the visions meant when it came to me!" the ten year old girl accused. "But you still ignored them! You're the reason I'm dead. The reason I'm like this!" She gestured at her body, the right side horribly mutilated. Her arm and leg hung at funny angles, cuts ran up and down her body, and blood and torn flesh marred her once pretty face._

_Kagome flinched and looked away, feeling sick._

_This enraged Kikyo, who leapt forward and grabbed her face. Turning it back towards her, she shrieked, "Look at me! Look! You did this to me! And you don't even have the guts to look at your own handiwork!"_

_Kagome choked on her sobs as the hot tears flowed anew down her cheeks. In the face of her guilt and sorrow, words failed her utterly. Kikyo thrust her chin aside with disdain._

"_You disgust me. I actually felt sorry for you at first, you know that? There you were, the poor girl whose parents had been killed. Little did I know you caused those deaths just as you would cause mine!"_

"_N-no...! I didn't want–I didn't mean–"_

"'_Didn't want, didn't mean.' Didn't _care_ is more like it."_

_Kagome whipped her head around to see Hojo behind her, blood dripping from his countless stab wounds. He stared her down, hate in his once-gentle eyes._

_Kagome gasped. "Oh, no... No, Hojo, not you too! You were my best friend! You know I would never hurt you! I couldn't!"_

"_Oh?" he sneered, kicking away her pleading hands. "So you just lured me into an alley and got some thugs to finish me off instead."_

"_No! No, I would never...! It wasn't me, I didn't kill you–!"_

"_You might as well have!" Hojo thundered, enraged. Kagome looked up in shock, the tears frozen on her face. "You saw my death coming! You knew it was going to happen! And still you did nothing! So don't preach to me, little Kagome, about not killing me; doing nothing and killing me were the same thing!"_

_Kagome felt as if someone had punched her in the stomach. She couldn't get her breath and her eyes unfocused. The four apparitions began circling her, continuing to shout accusations._

"_Did we mean that little to you?"_

"_We gave everything to you!"_

"_And how did you repay us?"_

"_How could you call yourself a friend?"_

"_We thought you loved us!"_

"_How many people do you have to let die before you're satisfied?"_

"_Our blood is on your hands!"_

"_It's your fault we're dead!"_

"_You killed us!"_

_Our blood is on your hands... it's your fault... you killed us...with those bloody hands... _our_ blood... _your_ fault... how could you ever atone? You can't... You're blood soaked. Stained forever with our deaths. Our _murders_. It's your fault... you killed us... OUR BLOOD IS ON YOUR HANDS!_

_Kagome felt something inside her break and she let out a soul-piercing scream._

..:V:..

Inuyasha grumbled incoherently as his alarm clock pierced through his sleepy haze. Turning it off with practised swiftness, he rolled out of bed and onto his feet within seconds. Not paying attention to anything but his destination, he made his way into the bathroom and proceeded to wake himself up more thoroughly with a shower.

When he emerged, awake and ready to tackle the day, his eyes landed on the boy across the room. Souta was sitting up slouched against the wall, and yet sound asleep. He hadn't even heard Inuyasha's alarm go off. Inuyasha's brow furrowed as he contemplated the boy's odd actions. Looking at the time, he realized he had no time to dwell on it now and he better wake the kid up so that he wasn't late for his own classes.

As Inuyasha shook the younger boy awake, he looked around in bemusement, as if unsure of his surroundings. He seemed to be confused by his state of sleep and after a few moments, he murmured, "She didn't come..."

Inuyasha gave him another odd and slightly worried look, but a quick glance at the clock reminded him of his original intention. "Hey, look, if you don't hurry now, you'll be late to class. What were you thinking, trying to stay up like that?"

Souta looked at him with sleep filled eyes before averting his gaze and moving to get up. "Sorry," he mumbled. "I just couldn't sleep... I'll get ready now."

Inuyasha watched as the boy walked to the bathroom, but he shook his head before thinking about it too much. He needed to get some breakfast before class and his own time was draining away faster than he'd like.

Usually he met up with Kagome in the cafeteria before their simultaneous class in the morning. Today she was nowhere to be seen. This confused him slightly, but it was not uncommon that one of them would miss the morning meeting. Sometimes one or the other would sleep in too long and breakfast had to be sacrificed. Either that or they had a granola bar laying around in their dorm room and would eat that instead before heading off to class. So Inuyasha only paid her absence a moment's notice, and perhaps a moment's disappointment, before carrying on with his own business.

When she didn't show up for class, however, he wasn't impressed.

"Alright, everyone," the teacher said loudly, clapping her hands. "We're doing a lab today so get with your partners, find the instructions on page 144 of your textbooks, and off you go! All materials can be found here at the front and as always, I'm here for any questions you might have."

Inuyasha sat still as the rest of the class stood up around him. As they all shuffled towards the front of the class, his eyes slid to the empty seat beside him. He felt his irritation rise the longer he stared.

She may be his best friend, he may care deeply for her, but where the_hell_ was she? There was _no way_ he was going to be stuck doing this nonsensical lab on his own! He wouldn't even understand what he was doing! She _knew_ he wouldn't understand! So why was she leaving him alone to do it?! In his panic, all memories of yesterday flew out the window.

Abruptly, he stood up and headed for the door. The teacher noticed his unusual movements and barked, "Inuyasha! Where are you going?"

"To get my lab partner," he retorted as he stormed out.

He made record time racing down the school hallways and into the connecting dorm building. In no time at all, he had arrived in front of her room.

"Kagome!" he called angrily, banging on the door. "Kagome, I know you're in there! There's no way you're sticking me with this physics lab! Wake up and come out!" He paused for a minute in silence before saying, "Okay, I'm coming in. Don't say I didn't warn you."

The doorknob turned easily in his hand and the door swung open, further proof Kagome was somewhere inside. Inuyasha knew that whichever girl left first left the door to be locked by the second when she herself went out. For the door to be unlocked now meant Sango had already left, but that Kagome was definitely still inside.

But she wasn't there. Her bed sheets were rumpled and twisted at the foot of her bed, but there was no Kagome to be seen anywhere in the room. This was a very odd morning indeed.

Sudden sounds of splashing alerted his attention to the bathroom. Normally Inuyasha would never think about entering a girl's bathroom while she was so evidently inside, but the door was wide open. So he cautiously proceeded forward, wondering what the heck could be going on. His previous anger was lost in his confusion.

And upon entering the small room, his confusion was soon lost in his fear.

Kagome was in the bathtub, furiously washing herself as the water filled up. She was still wearing her pajamas. Her eyes were unfocused and she was scrubbing her limbs desperately as if to clean off some unseen dirt. She didn't seem to be aware of his presence at all and instead just continued her actions.

As Inuyasha stared down at her, he could see that something was very, very wrong. But his brain was frozen numb in shock and his body wouldn't move. Faintly, his ears started to pick up the words she was muttering under her breath.

"All the blood...too much blood...must get it off...it's all over...so much blood...all their blood...all my fault...won't wash off...stained...so bloody...their blood on my hands...killed them...all my fault...all their blood..."

It was a never ending mantra and it instilled a dread in Inuyasha akin to when he awoke from his coma to find his world upended. His caring, understanding best friend, who had shown him her strength seven nights before, was currently sitting fully clad in her bathtub, broken and out of her mind, rubbing her arms raw. He almost wanted to run away.

Instead he collapsed to his knees beside her and reached a shaking hand out to grasp her shoulder. "K-Kagome," he said hesitantly. She made no show of noticing him. "Kagome, you're scaring me..." Still no response. She kept scrubbing. Panicking, he reached down and grabbed her arms, holding them still. "Stop it, Kagome! You're clean, there's no blood on you!"

She kept gazing ahead, unblinking, and when she spoke, it still held the airy, distracted quality of before. "The blood...it's all over me... I can't get it off."

"But there's nothing there!" he protested desperately. Why couldn't she see?!

She turned her head slowly to face him and her blank eyes bored into his. "I killed them all. Can't you see I'm soaked in their blood?"

Inuyasha swallowed with difficulty. A huge lump seemed to have lodged itself in his throat. The longer she stared at him, the more it unnerved him. "S-stop looking at me with those eyes," he stuttered finally. "Please, Kagome, come back to your senses."

She gazed back down at her restrained arms and stared at her open palms. "It won't ever come off, will it...? Stained forever..." She pulled against his hands as if to continue her scrubbing.

Inuyasha's desperate look hardened. He needed to get her out of the bathtub. He knew this, if nothing else. Turning off the tap, he said, "Come on, Kagome. You're coming with me. Enough washing." He tried to reach for her knees, but she shied away from him.

"Such pretty white... I'll stain it forever red..." she whispered almost in fear as she stared at his curtain of hair.

Inuyasha refused to back down. "I was splashed with blood a long time ago, Kagome. If that didn't stain me, then touching you certainly won't." Before she could say anything else, he leaned forward and scooped his right arm under her knees. With his left supporting her back, he hauled her up and towards him, standing up in the process. Despite her feeble resistance, he cradled her to his chest and carried her out of the bathroom. Setting her down on the floor of the main room, he dashed back for a towel. He returned within the blink of an eye and wrapped her up tightly, hoping to dry and warm her.

"Come on, Kagome...speak to me, come back to me," he said quietly, taking her once more in his arms and rocking her gently. "You're so strong. You're stronger than this. I don't know why you keep thinking you killed these people, I don't understand why you think it's your fault they died. But I can't believe you'd ever willingly kill anyone. That's just not who you are. Please believe me, Kagome. I _know_ it couldn't have been your fault."

He began stroking her hair as she stilled in his arms. "You can't let the shadows of the past destroy you like this. I know it's hard, I _really_ do, but didn't you show me the other night we'd press on towards the future? Isn't that what you were trying to say? Please don't give up on yourself, Kagome. Whatever is haunting you from your past, you mustn't give in. I'm here. _I'll_ never give up on you. Please, _please_ come back to me..."

A shudder racked Kagome's body and she collapsed fully against him. "I-Inuyasha?" she questioned hesitantly. He could have cried in relief.

Instead, he collected himself. "I'm here, Kagome."

Her next words were lost to him as her tears took over. She was shaking violently and he could only clutch her tighter as her tears soaked through his already wet shirt. He had no idea how long they stayed there, him holding her as she cried. He paid no attention to the clock, more focused on the sobbing girl in his arms.

She tried once or twice to raise her head and look at him, but he kept pressing it back to his chest. He couldn't bear to have her look at him right now. He was sure that never before had such a lost and confused expression adorned his face. He had no explanation for what had just happened and to see his friend in such a state was beyond unsettling. She had shown him such strength the night he'd broken down, but now when she needed him most, he felt like he had no strength to offer. He couldn't stand the thought of her seeing him too weak to comfort her. And so he held her more tightly and rocked with her, hoping to soothe his own pain as much as hers.

However confused he was by what he'd just witnessed, however, one thing was clearer than ever. Kagome was keeping something very, very important from him.

..:V:..

Kagome awoke without realizing she'd ever fallen asleep. Her room was unlit and no sun even shone through the blinds, signalling evening. She saw a figure before her and realized it was Inuyasha in her desk chair, fast asleep. He looked as if he'd been watching her and her lips curved up into a sad smile at the thought.

She couldn't really remember the day's events. With a shudder and a heavy, suffocating feeling, she remembered her dream the night before. Before she could dwell on it, however, she pulled her thoughts from it and tried to remember what had happened once she'd woken up. Nothing seemed to make sense, though. She had brief flashes of being covered in red and washing herself in the tub...and then being engulfed in a warm presence. The first clear memory she had was coming to in Inuyasha's arms and crying her heart out.

She was glad he was by her side. She was scared and confused. She wasn't sure what to think anymore. She felt responsible for all the deaths she'd indirectly caused. But Inuyasha had told her before that she wasn't to blame. He'd also said there was no way she could have known. How wrong he was on that point. Couldn't he be wrong about the other?

And her dream. All her killed family and friends had blamed her...they_hated_ her. They couldn't ever forgive her. But was it a vision or just a nightmare? Kagome couldn't tell and the thought alone of them hating her made it difficult for her to breathe. She couldn't go on like this. She needed some answers. If she didn't get any soon, she was liable to drown in despair.

She gazed fondly up at Inuyasha's sleeping face. She had a feeling he'd brought her back from the edge already. But she wasn't sure he was the one to help her with her current problem. She needed an unbiased opinion, and one with experience and wisdom. Tomorrow she would seek out Miroku.

She heard the dorm door open and light from the hallway invaded the room. Quickly she shut her eyes and feigned sleep. She didn't want to deal with anyone right now; she wasn't sure how to act or what to say.

"Inuyasha," she heard Sango's voice say. "Wake up, you have to go back to your dorm."

"Mm?" Inuyasha's groggy voice spoke up. "What time is it?"

"It's quarter to nine. Fifteen minutes to curfew."

There was a pause. "But Kagome..."

"I'll stay with her. And I don't have swim practice like this morning, so I'll make sure she gets up alright."

Another pause.

"I know you're reluctant, but the dorm inspector will be by soon. She won't let you stay anyway."

"I guess... Okay, well come get me if anything happens. Like...just anything you think might be odd."

Sango's voice sounded worried. "I'm not sure what happened this morning, but it sounds pretty serious. I'll let you know if I sense anything wrong."

"I... thanks, Sango. Good night."

"Night, Inuyasha." The door clicked softly closed. A warm hand smoothed the hair away from her forehead and Sango let out a delicate sigh. "He's pretty worried about you... Scratch that, we're all pretty worried. But please don't despair, Kagome. We're all here to support you. Just...don't forget that."

The hand pulled away and Kagome was once again left to her muddled thoughts.

..:V:..

The next afternoon, Miroku sat in his desk chair, continuously throwing up a tennis ball and catching it. He couldn't say the activity was thoroughly productive, but he could say he was thoroughly bored. His homework assignments had all been completed and Sango was busy training at the pool for a swim meet coming up.

For intelligent company, that left Inuyasha and Kagome. The other boy, however, hadn't spoken to him much since Wednesday and even then he had been in an irritable mood because of Kagome's absence. As for said girl, he hadn't seen hide nor hair of her since before her parents' death anniversary. Judging from his other two friends' jittery behaviour at lunch, something was amiss, but they had yet to inform him exactly what it was.

And so, Miroku continued to throw and catch his tennis ball to stave off his boredom. That was, until a quiet knock sounded at his open door.

"May I come in...?"

Miroku blinked a few times to be sure he was really seeing Kagome alone in his doorway before hastening to reply. "But of course. You know my door's always open to you. What do you need?" He noted her troubled expression.

"Oh, well i-it's just for a bit of school work," she stammered. "My English mark has been dipping a bit lately and I wanted to do really well on the Independent Study Unit coming up. Inuyasha mentioned that you were tutoring him so I thought you might be willing to give me some advice."

"School, eh?" Miroku said, eyeing her carefully. "Well sure then. Come sit down and tell me what you're having trouble with." He patted the bed beside him.

Kagome sank down on the bed and took a moment to collect herself, oblivious to Miroku's calculating stare. "Okay, so we're supposed to analyse in depth the individual books we picked out. You know, the standard – plot, setting, characters, theme, etcetera. Most of it I can figure out on my own, but I'm having difficulty seeing what the premise of the story is."

"The premise?" Miroku pressed gently.

"You know...like, the point of it all. I can't figure out the overall meaning of the story and so then I can't decipher the themes, or the true nature of one of the characters."

Miroku hummed thoughtfully. "Well, I'll do my best to help you. Could you explain some of the story to me, or what this character appears to be on the surface?"

"Well...the character is an introvert, so far as I can tell, and he doesn't seem to have any specific skills. There's nothing overtly special about him, except that he was cursed at birth by a witch."

"Why did she curse him?" Miroku inquired politely.

"Oh...well, the book never explained that, which is partly what has me so confused," Kagome responded.

"Alright then. What's the nature of this curse?"

"Well...it's complicated. First it seems that all those close to him are doomed to die unnatural deaths. And in addition, his head is filled with images of their deaths long before they ever occur. When they do die, he's always present, and oftentimes, he's the indirect cause of why they die. He doesn't understand why he's plagued with this vision and he's slowly becoming more lost within himself, despite anyone's best efforts to save him. He can't see the value of his own life if it's only there to predict and cause the deaths of those around him. And I don't understand either, Miroku! Did the witch mean to turn him into an Angel of Death, spreading death wherever he goes? Cursing him to witness it all, beforehand and during, until he goes mad with guilt?" Kagome looked at Miroku with such emotion in her eyes that he was taken aback for a moment.

Quickly gathering his wits, he scratched his head. "That's pretty intense. This must be quite the story."

"Oh...yes, it's really complicated," Kagome said, recovering her composure.

"Well..." Miroku said after a moment of thought. "Let me ask you this – has this character ever been successful in preventing anyone's death, because of these visions?"

Kagome hesitated. "Just once. But it was different from the other times. He saw the vision just before the near death occurred. Only because he knew it was happening immediately and had a good idea of where was he able to save the victim."

"Hmm...and how does the story end?"

"Oh...well, I don't know yet. I just read the first book and it's a trilogy," Kagome said quickly.

"I see..." Miroku said slowly.

"So do you have any idea what it could mean? Why did the witch curse him? What's the true nature of the curse? Why must this character live through this hell?" Kagome pled desperately.

"Now, now, no need to get all worked up. It's just a story," Miroku chided good-naturedly while eyeing her out of the corner of his eye. She swallowed nervously and nodded.

"R-right. Of course."

"But you know, Kagome, I think you're looking at this story the wrong way."

"Wrong way?" Kagome said in surprise. "What other way is there?"

"I don't think the witch is a witch at all. I think she's an angel."

"An angel?" Kagome said, the shock evident on her face. "You mean that instead of the character, _she's_ the Angel of Death?"

Miroku shook his head. "No, no. There is no 'Angel of Death.' The 'witch' is a normal angel, perhaps more benevolent than most."

"Benevolent?" Kagome exclaimed, her astonishment turning to anger. "Haven't you heard anything I've said? She cursed him!"

"Have you ever thought of it this way?" Miroku questioned softly. "Have you ever considered that instead of a curse...it's a gift?"

"A gift? Are you out of your mind, Miroku?!" she demanded, springing up from the bed. "What part of predicting and seeing the bloody deaths of those you love is a gift?!"

Miroku sat calmly in the face of her rage. "To me, it doesn't seem like that's the purpose of the gift."

"Oh? And so, pray tell me, what is?" Kagome said softly, a dangerous note in her voice.

"Predicting the deaths, yes, I think that's right. But seeing them happen? No, I don't think that's supposed to occur. You said yourself that these were unnatural deaths. They're unfortunate and unnecessary. I may be assuming too much, but I think the character is given these visions _because_ he's close to these victims."

"But, wha–"

"He's close to these people and so he has the ability to do something about their deaths...if he sees them coming," Miroku explained.

"You...you mean–"

"Yes. The angel gave the boy these visions as a gift so he could see and_prevent_ the deaths of those close to him. In fact, he might be inevitably drawn to people whose deaths are imminent just for this purpose. He's not meant to cause people's deaths, Kagome, but to _save_ them."

Kagome was shaking. "I s-see. So then...all the deaths he's seen up until this point...are his failures."

"No," Miroku cut in sharply. "I believe those deaths would have happened regardless. It's not that he causes their deaths or fails to save them. It's that they're going to die and if this character makes a conscious effort to save them, he has the ability to prevent their deaths."

"It's the same thing," Kagome said flatly, sitting back down on the bed. "You're just using different words."

"Perspective is everything," he told her seriously. "Just because he has the remote possibility of saving someone doesn't mean it's his fault if they die."

Kagome was silent for a few minutes, scrutinizing her folded hands closely. "You've given me a lot to think about, Miroku."

"Keep your chin up," Miroku advised genially. "The story's not over yet. And besides, doesn't the main character always succeed in the end?"

Kagome pursed her lips. "But what if he's not strong enough?" she asked in a voice no louder than a whisper.

"That's why he has family and friends around him to support him. Ones that are not so easily killed," Miroku replied with a soft smile.

"Miroku?" she asked in a small voice. "Can I ask you one more thing?"

"Of course."

Kagome twisted her hands in her lap. "What if...what if those who died blamed him for their deaths?"

"What a silly thing to ask," he said, placing a hand on the top of her head. When she looked up at him, he continued, "These people who died were all close to him, yes? He'll have to look down deep inside and ask himself if those that really loved him would really blame him for their death, when it wasn't really his fault? Wouldn't they instead mourn the fact that this boy they love so much has to live through this horror, now without their support? Don't you think that sounds more likely?"

Kagome looked deep into Miroku's eyes which were kindly and reassuring, and she felt new hope building inside her. "I guess... I guess you could be right."

Miroku smiled and leaned back, letting out a great sigh of relief. "Ahhh, good! I was hoping you'd agree with me; I've never actually read the book, after all!"

Kagome laughed nervously and stood up from the bed. "You really have been a big help, Miroku. I feel like I understand the character and his purpose a bit better now. This ISU won't stand a chance!"

"I'm glad to hear it," he replied, smiling as she bid him good-bye and exited the room.

..:V:..

The next day, Miroku was in Inuyasha's room, helping him with his Calculus homework. As Inuyasha grumbled over the same set of problems from three nights before, Miroku asked innocently, "What about your English ISU, Inuyasha? Hadn't you better start working on it? You can't let yourself get behind."

Inuyasha shot him a disgruntled glare. "What're you on about? The teacher hasn't even assigned it yet! How am I supposed to even know what it is?"

"Ah," Miroku said secretively, hiding a knowing smile.

* * *

A/N –cheshire grin– Did you liiike eet? I had a lot of fun writing this chapter. Well, perhaps fun shouldn't be the optimum word, but it brought me great enjoyment. Especially the dream sequence and the scene where Inuyasha finds her in the tub.

So now the dream allowed me to show you all Kagome's innermost thoughts about the events in her life. The deep down doubts and ultimate guilt manifested through those who died. I couldn't really give the full picture before, at the beginning, 'cause no one knew her full back story! But anymewho, I have studying to do and a project to write up so I'll be moseying on my way now. Ciao 'til next time!


	12. The Boy in her Dream

A/N Hey, everybody! Sorry I'm so delayed this time around. This chapter didn't treat me very well. I only had one thing planned for it so I didn't have much of an outline for it... And I tried writing it in my classes, but it was too rushed... So I had to rewrite it all. Hopefully it's good now. Hope you like it, it's the moment you've all been waiting for! I say all, but we know there's only like...five of us left... Anyways, this is for you guys who are still with me! Whee!

* * *

Kagome stared blankly at her wall, a million thoughts going through her mind.

_Miroku said it wasn't my fault they died, even if I saw it coming. He said I was drawn to them because of their impending deaths. ...But they would die anyway – I don't cause it to happen._

Could he be right? Kagome almost dared not believe it. By Miroku's reasoning, she had been unnecessarily burdening herself all these years with the belief that she was the main cause of the deaths of those around her. And yet, she was reluctant to relinquish all guilt for these tragedies. She _was_ able to stop them, even if she wasn't expected to.

And if she was capable of saving this new boy, then she _would_. She discovered a newfound resolve within her, a desire to prove herself, to prove this "gift," Miroku had called it, was not wasted on her.

Reassured, Kagome stood up to seek out Inuyasha when she wavered. Was she mad? Had she forgotten what had happened three days ago? Had she forgotten why she had been diligently avoiding him for the past few days? Kagome sat back down heavily.

What on Earth was she going to tell him? There was no way to convincingly lie. He had already known she was keeping something from him, ever since she saved Sango from drowning. There was no adequate way to explain why her nightmare had had such an effect on her without telling him the whole truth.

Telling him the truth... There's no way he would believe her. No one would. There may be waning demon characteristics, but no supernatural powers existed in the world. Her "gift" was inconceivable as it was.

And yet...would he believe anything else? With all that he had witnessed, the truth now was the only thing that made any sort of sense.

Kagome paused for a moment and considered. What if...what if she _did_ tell him? What would the consequences be? What was she afraid of happening?

Her whole life, she had been anxious about others finding out her secret. She had always believe no one would believe her. But that was only an excuse. In truth, she was a coward. She had been afraid that if by some measure she convinced someone of the truth, they too would blame her for her loved ones's deaths.

Since she had already accepted the blame for herself, she wasn't sure why this frightened her so much. It was probably akin to feeling horrible for having failed a test, but then having to show it to your guardian and obtaining their criticism as well. Except on a much, much grander scale.

Accepting your failures for yourself is one thing, but baring them to the world brings down a new level of shame and guilt that Kagome hadn't been brave enough to own up to yet.

But now? Was she brave enough to tell Inuyasha? What would he think of her? Miroku was convinced she wasn't to blame. Would Inuyasha see it the same way?

With all he had seen and all she had left unexplained, could she afford _not_ to tell him?

Kagome sighed and buried her face in her hands. If her "gift" included a nice little ability to erase Inuyasha's memory, that would be fantastic. Then again, he didn't deserve to lose any more memory than he already had.

With a sound of frustration, Kagome stood up in one fluid movement. Nothing was going to be resolved whining to herself here all day. She had to find Inuyasha and talk to him.

Was she ready to bare her darkest, most innermost secret and fully reveal it as her own to the first person in her lifetime besides Souta? She didn't know. All she knew was that she had to see Inuyasha. Once she did, she would know what to reveal and, if necessary, what to conceal.

..:V:..

Kagome knocked on Inuyasha's door as she attempted to suppress her nervousness. What was she going to say to him when he opened the door? Suddenly she wished she had fabricated an explanation after all. Having to divulge the truth was becoming a more daunting idea by the second and she anxiously shifted her weight from one foot to the other as she waited.

When the door opened, it wasn't Inuyasha who stood before, but rather Souta. Looking down at him in relief, but knowing it was merely temporary, she asked, "Hey, Souta, is Inuyasha in?"

Souta frowned slightly and shook his head. "Nope. He hasn't been here all afternoon either. I don't know where he is. Didn't even see him in the cafeteria when I went for dinner. I think he mentioned something last night about not staying in the dorm tonight, but it also didn't seem like he was going off campus. I dunno. You should know better than me, right?"

Kagome gave her brother a perplexed expression for a moment before shrugging her shoulders and turning away. "Oh well, it's probably no big deal. Make sure you get your homework done early, kid, and rest up. The dreaded Monday comes all too soon tomorrow."

Souta mock pouted. "I know, I know. And I've already finished all my homework. So there."

Kagome laughed. "Okay, okay. I'll stop bugging you."

Before she was able to beat a hasty retreat, Souta spoke up once again. "Why are you looking for Inuyasha now, anyways, Kagome? Isn't it kind of late? And like you said, the dreaded Monday is tomorrow."

Kagome turned around with a bright smile on her face. "Oh, it's nothing too important. I just have to check with him about a homework question that's due tomorrow morning in Physics."

Souta adopted an expression of the utmost scepticism. "Oh, _really_? Without your notes even?"

Kagome looked down at her empty hands and shoved them quickly behind her back. "Ah! Well, I was going to ask him to come back to my room in order not to disturb you."

"Yeah. Right. I wasn't born yesterday, Kagome. That was the fakest smile I've ever seen. What are you hiding from me?"

"Erm...nothing. Yet. Can I take a rain check on an explanation? I promise I'll tell you everything soon. Just give me a chance to talk with Inuyasha first," Kagome pleaded.

Souta crossed his arms. "Well, I _suppose_. As long as you _do_ get back to me."

"Oh, I absolutely promise!" Kagome swore reverently. She quickly stepped up to him and gave him a kiss on the cheek. "You're the best, Souta."

"Aw, gross," Souta moaned, wiping his cheek. "Girl cooties."

Kagome rolled her eyes as she used a hand to mess up his hair. "Yeah, right. Catch ya later, kiddo!"

With that, she made her way down the hall, racking her brains as she went. Where could he have I gone? As with Souta, he hadn't made any mention to staying with his brother for the night to her. Even if he'd had that intention, she was sceptical whether the school would allow it on a Sunday night.

After scouring most of their usual hang out spots, including the Tree outside, it had really become dark outside. The sun had gone completely down and only the stars lit up the night sky.

"Really, where _is_ that guy?" Kagome muttered irritably under her breath. "Just when I stop avoiding him, he becomes impossible to find! I shouldn't have to look so hard for someone I'm dreading talking to."

"Kagome? Are you talking to yourself?"

"Sango!" Kagome turned to face the other girl. Sango had been treating her as if she were made of porcelain for the past few days. Now she thought she was talking to herself in some mad delusion probably. Not that she didn't have reason to be concerned, but Kagome didn't need people treating her like she was crazy right now. It could wait until later. "Have you seen Inuyasha?"

"Oh! No," Sango replied, seemingly taken off guard. "I didn't think you had spoken to him for the past few days."

"I hadn't."

"That...would explain it then," Sango said awkwardly. An equally awkward silence followed.

"Well, if you haven't seen him, I guess I better keep looking," Kagome said, starting to turn away.

"Uh, any particular reason you want to find him now?"

"Ummm...to talk..." Kagome replied evasively.

"About what happened a few days ago?"

"Yeah...and stuff..." Kagome wasn't sure how much Inuyasha had told her and she hadn't spoken much to the girl herself except for superficial matters.

Sango seemed about to press more, but then thought better of it and shook her head. "Well, I haven't seen him all day. Oh, well I thought I saw him once, but I can't be sure. He dashed by me in sunglasses and a funky hat. It was probably just some theatre nut, now that I think about it properly."

Slim pickings, but it was all Kagome had to go on. "Where was that?"

"Oh, in was on the staircase between the second and third floor. But I'm telling you, I must have been mistaken."

"Well, it's all I've got. Thanks Sango! I'll see you later!"

"Bye." Sango gave a small wave as her friend dashed off down the hall.

_Sunglasses and a funky hat..._ _I swear I saw Inuyasha in the same get up around a month ago. But Ms. Hakaru said my eyes were playing tricks on me. But if Sango saw the same thing...and if he's going to the top floor...that can only mean...the roof!_

Kagome sprinted up the last flight of stairs and made her way down the third floor corridor until she reached the door leading to the roof. As she suspected, the lock had already been picked. _I've found you now, Inuyasha..._ she thought triumphantly. Without a thought to her earlier trepidation, she flung open the door and scurried up the ladder to the trap door. As she opened it, her eyes immediately honed in on the dark silhouette by the railing.

"Inuyasha! Finally, I've found you!" she exclaimed as she climbed all the way up, letting the door drop close with a clang.

The silhouette started visibly but didn't turn around. "K-Kagome?" Inuyasha's voice spoke up, obviously nervous.

"Yeah...what's wrong?"

"Um...ehehe, nothing. Just...don't come any closer."

"What?" She had already taken a few steps forward.

"Ah...just stay where you are. Don't come any closer to me."

"What's the matter, why don't you want–oh." Kagome felt her stomach drop out as her heartbeat sped up drastically. Realization had struck her. He...he was afraid of her. He didn't want her to be near him, to touch him. He must think her crazy, psychotic even. She knew she had been out of her mind that morning a few days ago, but she thought he had been there to support her, protect her. But, if he was now _afraid_ of her... "I understand," she said with a slight sniffle. "I won't bother you again." She turned to go.

A slight scuffle alerted to the fact he must have turned around. "Oh? What oh? What do you understand? What are you thinking about, Kagome? W-why won't you bother me again?" his voice sounded almost panicked.

Kagome continued gazing down at the trap door. With a slight laugh, she said, "You must think I'm crazy. I always keep secrets from you. And then I exhibit such odd behaviours that defy any explanation. And a few days ago, I nearly lost my mind. I _did_ lose it in fact. But you brought me back. You helped me regain my senses. I came to apologize for what I've put you through. I thought I might even try to explain. But...but you're afraid of me now. Maybe the best apology I can offer is to leave you alone from now on. My troubles shouldn't be yours and I could never–"

She was interrupted by a rustle of movement and then two strong arms enveloping her from behind. The two of them collapsed to the ground as he buried his face in her neck, hugging her ever tighter. "Oh god, oh god, oh god," he muttered repeatedly. "Kagome, I'm not afraid of you, I've never been afraid of you, I'll never _be_ afraid of you. And I will _never_ let you leave me."

Kagome choked out a sigh of relief she didn't know she had been holding. Gripping his arm with her hand, she said, "T-then why...?"

Inuyasha let out a long, slow breath which inevitably travelled down her back, leaving a tingling sensation in its wake. "Because...well, to start off, it has everything to do with _me_ and not _you_. But it's hard to show you. I'm...I'm different tonight."

"Different? Different how?"

"My...appearance. My body. My blood. My everything. It only happens once every month. There's nothing I can do about it. It's part of who I am. But I don't like it and it changes people's opinions of me. So I hide. I wasn't going to hide from you forever though. I was going to show you. When...when the time was right. But I guess that time's right now."

"I'm...really confused," Kagome admitted. "But I'm glad you trust me so much and I swear that I'll also–"

"Shhh," Inuyasha hushed gently. Holding one of his hands out in front of her face, he said, "Look."

Kagome gently took his hand in hers and examined it in the dim light. "Inuyasha, your claws are gone! What's happened?"

"I told you, I changed. For tonight, I'm not the Inuyasha you know. I'm not a half demon anymore. I'm just a weak human."

"A human, really?! Let me see–!" Kagome eagerly pulled out of his embrace in order to turn around and face him.

This time, she was sure her heart stopped.

She stared at the boy before her in shock. She blinked several times as if to dispel the image, but after a few moments, it became apparent that this was no illusion.

It was Inuyasha's face and features, but the colours were all wrong. His normally snowy white hair was jet black and blended in with the night sky around him. His golden eyes shone no more; their darkness nearly drowned her.

As she gaped at him, he opened his mouth to try to placate her obvious distress. When he did, she could see that his fangs had shrunk to normal canines

Despite Inuyasha's obvious attempts to get her to talk to him, Kagome's ears were muted. She could hear nothing in her shock and horror. He tucked a lock of hair behind his ear in his anxiety and Kagome's eyes honed in on it. It was a human ear. His dog ears were gone from the top of his head to be replaced with these ones on the side.

This was Inuyasha, sitting before her.

He was human.

He was the boy in her dream.

..:V:..

Inuyasha couldn't begin to comprehend what was going through Kagome's mind. She had seemed completely accepting of his transformation when he had told her about it, but once she turned around, she seemed to have seen her worst nightmare. She gaped at him wordlessly, her eyes opened wide in horror. Inuyasha had often been the victim of a horrified gaze, but it especially stung coming from Kagome. Did she think him some sort of freak, some monster now that she had seen the full extent of his transformation? Half demon one night, full human the next. How could this scare someone so much that they stared at him with those piercing eyes?

"K-Kagome, I don't know what you're thinking, but I–"

Suddenly, Kagome let out a soul-rending wail. Inuyasha froze. As he watched, her eyes became unfocused and she clutched her head in apparent despair. Her fingers raked through her hair, clawing at her scalp, as tears streamed seamlessly down her cheeks.

She stared at him in horror and anguish, but seemed to be seeing through him at the same time. Her body began to tremble and she started mumbling gibberish Inuyasha couldn't make out with his now human ears.

Okay, his human transformation could be a bit of a shock, but Inuyasha was fairly convinced it didn't warrant _this_ extreme a reaction.

"Kagome? What's going on? Please talk to me. I'm sorry this is such a shock, but if we could just talk it out... At least tell me why you're reacting this way. I know me changing like this is really sudden and kind of freaky but...is it that bad? Just...please, Kagome. Talk to me."

She seemed not to acknowledge his words in the least, but instead her own grew louder until he could make them out.

"No, no, no, no, no, no... Oh no, no, no, no, no, no... This can't be real, it can't be you. Oh no, I don't want to see it again, oh don't make me see it again..."

In horror, Inuyasha saw that her nails had really started to claw at her forehead as if to physically dig out what was obviously affecting her psychologically. She pressed her palms into her eyes even as a trickle of blood ran down her temple.

"Kagome!" Inuyasha shouted, ripping one of her arms away. But as soon as he touched her flesh, it was as if he were thrust into an alternate reality.

Immediately Inuyasha noticed that the night air was different. It was warmer and there was no trace of snow on the ground. They also didn't seem to be on the roof anymore, or rather _he_ didn't because Kagome was gone from his view.

When he tried to look around, he found he couldn't, as if he had no control over his eyes. He also felt no sensation in his body, no feeling of existence. All he could do was see.

His gaze was swung downwards and a cold fear swept through his mind. Lying at his feet was himself. It was his human body, bloody and beaten and on the verge of death. His eyes were growing dimmer with each passing second and his rattling breath couldn't pull in nearly enough oxygen as it needed.

The body Inuyasha was trapped inside but couldn't control fell to its knees and soft feminine hands reached out to shakily caress his dying self's face. With a slight smile, his dying self tilted his head towards her hands. With a last intake of breath, he sighed, "Kagome..." before letting go of his strength and slipping into death.

Inuyasha realized it with a shock. The body he was trapped inside...the eyes he was seeing through...they belonged to Kagome. He was seeing himself die through Kagome's eyes!

"NOOOOOO!" a heart-breaking scream rang out and Inuyasha was violently shoved backwards.

He was back on the roof and Kagome stood, dishevelled and panting above him.

"It can't happen, it can't. Oh god... Why, why, why?!"

Inuyasha froze where he had been pushed back and took a moment to collect himself. A million ideas sprang to his mind, trying to explain what had just occurred logically and with reason, but all were rejected in the span of a second. He was curious and confused, but above all, scared. He had just seen his own death. It was terrifying. But was it real?

"K-K-Kagome...? W-what was that just now?" He tried to keep out the tone betraying him as the petrified twelve year old boy he was. He wasn't sure he succeeded.

It also didn't seem to matter. Kagome was completely lost within herself, continuing to moan and mumble as if she didn't even know he was there. Her behaviour definitely wasn't helping him to calm down. It only served to agitate him further.

Standing up, he went to her and gripped her shoulders, halting her frantic movements. "Kagome! What the hell did we just see?" he asked slowly and deliberately to help suppress his panic.

Slowly Kagome's tremors abated and she looked up at him with a tear stained face. Eyes widened in disbelief, she pressed her fingers to his face as if making sure it were real and whole before her. "I-Inuyasha? You're okay? You're still okay?"

Inuyasha swallowed his frustration and fear in order to calm her. "Yes, I'm fine. I'm still here, perfectly alive. But, _what did we just see_?"

Her eyes met his in surprise. "S-see? What did you see?"

"That's what I'm asking you! I know you saw it too! I was looking out of your body, your eyes! I...I was on the ground...I was...I was _dying_. Why did I see that when I touched you? _What was it_?"

She let out a choked sob and pulled his head down so their foreheads could touch. "I hate it. I hate it so much. But as much as I hate it...it's true that that is how you are going to die."

Inuyasha gulped. "I-I'm going to die? Like that? H-how? How could you know that?! It can't be true. It's impossible! No one can see the future like that!" his voice was verging on hysteria. He would have been pacing frantically about the roof if not for Kagome's caressing hands and cool forehead.

"I can see the future," she said quietly. All of a sudden, she seemed to have pulled herself together. Her time for tears was gone, she needed to comfort her friend. "I can see the future when it comes to these sorts of things."

Instead of trying to follow what she was saying, Inuyasha stubbornly resisted. "How? You can't prove something like that! You can't see the future!"

"I did when it came to saving Sango's life. You wanted to know, didn't you? You wanted me to tell you how I knew she was in danger. I didn't want to tell you then. I didn't want to tell you I saw her drowning before it actually happened. I didn't think you'd believe me. Or you'd think I was crazy. Which maybe I am. But it doesn't change the fact that the visions I see come true. Every single time," Kagome's tone rang with finality and despair.

Inuyasha was shaking. Somewhere within him, Kagome's words were hitting home, but his mind still refused to process them. What was Kagome trying to tell him? She could see visions of the future? Visions of people dying? They always came true? There had been others other than Sango?

Others...others dead. It hit Inuyasha like a ton of bricks. Kagome's parents...Kikyo...Hojo... All of them had died. Had she witnessed them all...twice?

He raised his own hands and took her face in them. He then pulled their heads apart so he could look into her eyes. "You've seen them all? You've predicted all of their deaths?" What he was saying finally reached his brain. Letting go of her, he stepped back. "No, that can't be. It's impossible!"

Kagome felt him slipping away from her. "Inuyasha, _please_. Please listen to me. Can you really explain it any other way? Can you explain how I knew about Sango? Can you explain why I've been looking for a boy with long black hair for the past three months who I knew went to this school but couldn't seem to find? Can you explain what you just saw now with your own eyes?!"

"Stop it! Stop it!" Inuyasha shouted, covering his ears.

"You always wanted me to tell you before! You always wanted me to explain! You sounded so accepting, that you would believe anything I had to tell you. So why won't you believe me now?!" Kagome cried desperately.

"Because!" Inuyasha yelled and Kagome noticed there was a hitch to his voice. When he turned his face towards her, she was startled to see tears at the corners of his eyes. "Because...I don't want to die. I don't want to die, Kagome."

"Oh god." In making Inuyasha see the truth about her, she was forcing him to believe his death was at hand. Without thinking, she rushed over to him and embraced him tightly. "I'm sorry, Inuyasha. I'm so sorry."

Inuyasha's legs seemed to give out and they sunk to the ground once more. "I don't want to die, Kagome. I don't want to die," he kept repeating.

"I know, Inuyasha. I know. I don't want you to either. That's why I'm going to do everything in my power to stop it. What I said was true. I have been searching for you since I came to this school. In fact, I came to this school _solely_ to search for you. I have been having this vision since September. I came here to see if I could stop it. Too many people have died because I wasn't able to stop it. Or, they probably would have died anyways, but I would have had the ability to stop them if I'd tried hard enough. I was determined not to make the same mistake with this new boy. And I am even more determined now that I know it's you and not some random boy I don't know." She stroked his raven hair softly as his arms snaked around her waist and held her like a child would his mother.

"You really can see the future, can't you?" he asked quietly.

"Yes," she replied simply.

"And you've seen all of their deaths before they happened? Your parents, Kikyo and Hojo... You predicted them all?"

"Yes."

"But...when your parents died...you were only six..."

"Yes."

"And you saw them die before it happened?"

"Yes. But then...I-I just thought they were bad nightmares. I didn't understand what they meant. I had a bad feeling the night the murders happened and I tried to stop my mom, but I didn't succeed. And then I chased after her...but that caused her to cry out and it alerted the burglar. When he was distracted, my dad tried to get the gun, but the burglar ended up shooting him. And then he shot my mom when she ran forwards. It was all my fault you see. I saw the murders before they happened...but I did something wrong and I ended up causing them myself." Kagome hung her head over Inuyasha's.

He gave her a comforting squeeze. "You can't be blamed for that. You didn't intend for it, you were just trying to stop it. Your parents wouldn't blame you either, I'm sure."

Kagome was silent for several moments.

"Kagome?"

"I...I had a dream the other night. It was the night before you found me in my room. They were...blaming me for their deaths."

"Who, your parents?" Inuyasha sat up in order to look Kagome straight in the face.

"...Everyone. Everyone was blaming me. But it started with my parents. They said I was stupid, that I saw it coming but I didn't save them. That I caused their deaths myself."

"Kagome–"

"That was just the beginning. Kikyo came next. She was mutilated just the way she was from when she died. Her right side was torn and bloodied from where the car hit her at full speed. I hadn't been able to save her either. Again, I had seen it months beforehand. I was still confused though! Confused and scared. I didn't know what it meant. My parents had died the first time, but it was when I was six and I thought that maybe I had turned myself around. That my memory was flawed and I had actually seen the nightmares of my parents dying _after_ it had happened instead of before. Because otherwise it wouldn't have made sense. I had been able to fool myself with that. And so, when the visions of Kikyo's death came to me, I didn't know what to do. They made me nervous, but I wanted to ignore them. I thought if I did, nothing would come of it. But I was wrong, just like the first time. Kikyo saw me that day and rushed across the street. I suddenly knew what was going to happen seconds before it did, but I was frozen with dread and fear. She died just like in my vision.

"And she was also blaming me in my dream. She accused me of ignoring my visions and causing her death. She was so angry that feeling sorry for the girl who'd lost her parents had led to her own death."

"Ka–" Once again Inuyasha tried to interrupt, but once again he was cut off. Kagome seemed intent on finishing.

"Hojo was last. He was so cold and cruel, but I guess he had a right to be. Twice before I had witnessed my loved ones' deaths and twice before I had been unable to stop them. You would think by the third time I could have done something...

"But...when I started having visions of Hojo, I froze up. My best friend in the whole world...the best one I'd ever had...he was going to die? I didn't know what to do, I wasn't sure there was anything I _could_ do. I had tried before, and I had failed. I was starting to believe I was only given these visions to torture me. I wasn't sure there was any other reason for them. I couldn't imagine what I could actually do about them. Hojo...Hojo had been _stabbed_ in my vision. How was I supposed to stop that? My fear clouded my thoughts.

"I'm not even sure what I was thinking the night that it happened. I had been on edge for the past few months, knowing what was to come, but not when. It was late that night and I just wanted to get back to the orphanage as quickly as possible. I was such an idiot. I asked Hojo to take the shortcut with me. But that just took him right to the scene of his murder. In my dream he accused me of having lured him there. Of having practically killed him myself by doing nothing about my visions. It was horrible. They all said their blood was on my hands, that it was all my fault. What could I do but believe them?" She finally looked up at Inuyasha with lost eyes.

"Kagome, that was just a nightmare formed of your fears. You parents, Kikyo and Hojo would never actually blame you. They couldn't. They loved you."

Kagome smiled slightly as she remembered Miroku's similar words. "You're probably right... But I've had so many visions that were real, Inuyasha. Who's to say it wasn't one of them? I can't separate my visions from my nightmares anymore. They're often all the same."

"Then you'll just have to have faith. Faith in the feelings and impressions they left with you when they were still alive. You can believe in that much, can't you?"

Kagome took Inuyasha's hand in hers and squeezed it. "I think I finally can. I know my parents loved me... And I know Kikyo and Hojo saw me as a genuine friend. I've always known this... But what happened to them was terrible. And I could have stopped it, but didn't. I just... I've felt responsible all these years. And through my guilt, I've warped what I believed their feelings for me were. I can't erase my feeling of responsibility for their deaths. I just...can't. But maybe I can still trust in the fact _they_ don't blame me for it. And if I do everything in my power from now on to save future victims, like I did Sango, I might somehow feel their deaths were not in vain."

She sat up straight and faced him squarely. "And so I'm going to promise you, Inuyasha, here and now, that I will not rest until I change that horrifying vision of your death. I won't let it happen. I will do anything it takes. You are so important to me now that losing you would be the same as losing myself. I will even sacrifice my own life to save yours because I don't think I could continue on anymore without you."

Inuyasha's expression wiped clean from his face as he stared at her. After a moment he slumped forward and let his head fall on her shoulder. "I think my heart just stopped. The thought of you dying is even scarier than my own death. Please don't ever die just to leave me alive without you. That would be much worse than my death."

"Looks like we both can't live or die without the other..." Kagome noted, raising a hand to rake her fingers through his hair. "When did we become so dependent on each other, huh? When did it become so hard to separate from you...?"

Inuyasha lifted his head until they were nose to nose and he was looking straight into her eyes. "Kagome?"

"Yes?"

"Can...can I kiss you?"

Kagome's eyes widened in surprise. When she didn't respond right away, Inuyasha sat back and started fiddling with his hands. "It's just... I know we're just really good friends and I love our relationship how it is. B-but I _really_ like you, Kagome. Being around you is comfortable. You...understand me and let me be myself. And...you're so strong and so fragile at the same time. I always find myself seeking your warmth, but also wanting to protect you. I want to stay by your side forever, Kagome. I...I think I really love you."

Kagome stared back at him a moment longer before saying, "Yes."

Inuyasha met her eyes, confused. "What?"

"Yes, you can kiss me."

Joy leapt up along with nervousness in his throat and he hastily tried to gulp them down. "O-okay." Hesitantly, he reached his hands out to cup her face. Before moving closer, he asked, "Kagome?"

"Yes, Inuyasha?" Her voice came out barely more than a whisper.

"I don't think I'm any good at this," he admitted.

She gave him a warm smile. "I don't think it matters."

Swallowing once more, Inuyasha leaned forward on his knees and brought their heads together. His lips pressed against hers gently and instantly recognized their warmth. Kagome responded to him immediately, pursing her mouth over his and bringing her hands up to his chest. She inhaled his scent as she closed her eyes and let herself be taken away by the sensations he was evoking in her.

Inuyasha leaned into the kiss, slowly working his mouth over hers and drinking in her taste. The sweetness of her mouth intoxicated him and he savoured each moment of their connection. He could feel the heat rising to his face, spreading a blush like wildfire on his cheeks, but Kagome's arms slid up to entwine around his neck and he didn't dare stop. His hands travelled into her hair, his fingers sliding through the silky strands.

"Inuyasha..." Kagome breathed as she pulled away slightly. As he looked at her with dazed eyes, she continued, "I think I love you too."

If Inuyasha had still had his dogs ears, she swore they would have perked up. "Re-really?"

"Yes," she said, snuggling closer to him and tucking her head under his chin. "You care so much about me... You understand me so well. You believe in me when I doubt myself and my sanity. You're so brave, when something so horrible has happened to you. And now, something else is on the horizon. But I want to be there with you to face it. I want to save you."

Inuyasha tightened his embrace and held her closer. "I want you to save me too. I _do_ believe in you. And I would also still love you if that vision ended up coming to pass. I wouldn't blame you, Kagome. Not ever."

"And I won't let you die," Kagome replied stubbornly. "Not ever."


	13. Hunting Down the Truth

Disclaimer: He's actually not mine. Shocking, I know. I'm filing for an appeal as we speak.

A/N And here I come to you again...like a year and a half after my last update. Last year was...uncool, and I had trouble finding inspiration for this chapter. It's not terribly plot-centric so I waffled for quite a while on what to have happen in it. But here it is finally. It has a much more light-hearted and comedic tone than previous chapters, but hey – it's fun. Enjoy!

* * *

_Things we know about Inuyasha's death_

–_most likely spring, no snow on the ground_

–_outside, on pavement_

–_Inuyasha beaten, scratched, wound in chest_

–_Kagome there_

–_on a new moon; possible dates: January 10__th__, February 8__th__, March 10__th__, April 8__th__, May 8__th__, June 6__th_

"...This is wrong on so many levels," Inuyasha stated firmly as he and Kagome mulled over their newly created list in the library. "I never thought I would be writing down facts about my own death... ..._that hasn't even happened yet_. Can we at least change the title? It's giving me the creeps."

"To what? _Inuyasha's fluffy adventure_?" Kagome whispered back. "The only way we're going to deal with this and prevent it is if we face it square on. I've always avoided my visions in the past and this time, I'll do anything but."

"Okay, yes, I understand. But this topic is already morbid enough as it is. Do we really have to spell out 'Inuyasha's gruesome and horrifying death' right on the paper?"

Kagome frowned at the list. "I didn't write 'gruesome' or 'horrifying' anywhere on here."

"That's not the point!" Inuyasha argued back. "The simple fact of having 'Inuyasha's death' as the title and then 'beaten, scratched, wound in chest' in the list is enough to imply it."

"But those facts will help us. If we figured out how you die, we can keep you away from things like that."

"I'm not Sleeping Beauty and the spindle," Inuyasha grumbled.

"You could be. Should I change the title to _Things we know about Sleeping Inuyasha's loooooong sleep_? Would that make you feel better?" Kagome replied smartly.

Inuyasha gave her an accusing look. "Fine, just keep it as 'Inuyasha's bloody death'! I have no problem with it whatsoever."

Kagome scrutinized the paper again. "There's no 'bloody' in here either. Listen, death is terrifying enough on its own. I don't need to add colourful adjectives in to get the point across. Labelling this as _Inuyasha's excruciatingly painful death_ wouldn't do either of us any good."

Inuyasha's face paled. "You really think it'll be 'excruciatingly painful'?"

"It was an example!" Kagome said in exasperation. "But...beaten, scratched and a wound in your chest can't feel very good, honestly."

"This is sounding less and less fun," Inuyasha moped, putting his head down on his crossed arms.

"May I remind you that it was _never_ fun?"

"Well, yeah... But thinking of it as a fun murder mystery as opposed to a frantic race against time to prevent my death relieved a little of the stress before. Kinda feeling it come back now though..."

"Well, good. Because even though it's not fun, it's necessary. We don't have time to fool around. Now, let's get back to thinking about this," Kagome said, spreading the paper out on the table for both of them to see. "We've got the circumstances of your death, as far as we can tell from the vision. So that's a bit of how, when and where. Which leaves who and why. Who will do this to you, and for what reason?"

Inuyasha felt his heartbeat quicken. "I could think of someone pretty fast. Someone I'd really rather not..."

"You mean..."

"My parents' killer, yeah. And the guy who stuck me in a coma for five years. He's still at large, may I remind you," Inuyasha said pointedly.

"You really think it'll be him?" Kagome said in trepidation. "But why?"

"I would think that would be obvious," Inuyasha said flatly. "Maybe because, oh I don't know, he already tried to kill me and failed?"

"But...then...why wouldn't he have already killed you? Like...when you were in the coma, or as soon as you woke up? Why let you live this long when you could potentially identify him?"

"Maybe because I _can't_ identify him. I don't know about the coma – maybe he thought I'd never wake up. But as for after...I don't remember anything about that night. So maybe that's why he's letting me live," Inuyasha tried to reason.

Kagome gave him a flat look. "You really think this maniac is that nice? After so brutally killing your father and even shooting a mother and her twelve year old boy in the back as they ran away, you think he would hesitate to take you out at the earliest moment just because your memory was a little foggy?"

"Well, I don't know how he thinks! He's a maniac, remember? But maybe he takes me out like in your vision _because_ I remember something. Before letting his secret get revealed, he kills me. And what better night to do it than on that of the new moon, where I'm at my most vulnerable state?" Inuyasha theorized.

"Hey, that's gotta be a clue!" Kagome said excitedly.

"What is?"

"The fact that you're killed on the night of the new moon! Doesn't that tell you something really important?" Kagome pressed.

"...Not really seeing it," Inuyasha admitted.

"How would they know?! How would the killer know the new moon is your most vulnerable time? He must know you! He must be close to you and your family!" Kagome revealed.

"Dammit, I knew Sesshoumaru was out for my blood," Inuyasha muttered irritably.

Kagome whacked his arm. "Be serious! Sesshoumaru's not going to be the killer."

"Ow," Inuyasha complained, rubbing his arm. "But really, Kagome, Sesshoumaru is the only one who knows about my secret. No one else who's ever known my family has been told. It's not exactly something we like to get out."

"Still...I don't think I'm wrong," Kagome replied stubbornly. "I mean, think about it. If he doesn't know already, how's he going to find out without being close to you already? Like you said, it's not something you like to get out. Which means you're much more likely to let it slip to someone you trust than a complete stranger."

"I suppose..." Inuyasha conceded.

"And think about the night he attacked you the first time!" Kagome continued. "Wasn't he inside your house? He shot your dad in his study, and you and your mom were running outside, away from him. How could he have gotten that far into your house without your father knowing him and letting him in?"

"You think my dad knew him? Well gee, that narrows it down. My dad not only owned an _entire company_, but had like an infinite amount of contacts and business associates from other companies and countries. To say the killer was someone my dad knew is not very useful," Inuyasha said in disappointment.

"Well, it's a little bit helpful," Kagome insisted. "And besides, we're talking close enough to come visit your father at home, not just a vague business partner at the office. And someone you or Sesshoumaru would feel comfortable enough around to reveal your new moon secret."

"I'm telling you, we haven't told anyone, and we won't either," Inuyasha said.

"Still, let's operate with the idea he knows you. Now, starting again with people your father knew. Did he have any enemies?" Kagome asked.

"If he had enemies, I don't think he would have let them into his house," Inuyasha reminded her. "It would have had to be someone he thought was a _friend_, and someone he trusted."

"Hmm, you're right," Kagome admitted. "Okay... Well, did your father often or ever bring business back home with him? Like, did he often have work associates come to your house to discuss business?"

"Not often...but sometimes," Inuyasha said, thinking hard. "If he thought it was really important or couldn't wait. And sometimes he had the employees he thought were really exceptional come over for dinner. But most only came once each. Um, a few of his assistants would come if some major conflict came up, or if an upcoming event involved the entire family."

"Okay...so that's sounding like personal assistants or secretaries, and important employees. By important, I mean people crucial to running to the company. I doubt it'll be some cubicle worker low down on the food chain. He'd only meet and invite over the top dogs, the people who could fix a specific problem right away," Kagome said, jotting down notes further down on their sheet of clues. "What about people outside the company? He must have had friends outside of work."

"Well...yeah, but just a few from his old university days," said Inuyasha. "They only met rarely and most of them have companies now of their own. I don't think they'd really be out for his blood. My mom had a bunch of friends from her modelling days, but I don't see how any of them would want to kill my father."

"Maybe one of them loved your mother and was jealous of your father?" Kagome suggested.

"So he waited twenty-five years to kill him and try to steal her back? Oh, and wait. He didn't steal her back. He killed her too! What kind of jealous wannabe-lover would that be?" Inuyasha argued.

"Well...any way you look at it, it doesn't seem like he was initially after you and your mother," Kagome said. "He shot your father in his study. Then it seems you and your mother witnessed it, tried to escape, and he shot you too. That's what all the police said in the media. You and your mother were only shot because you witnessed the actual murder, not because he had any initial intention of killing you."

"I guess so..." Inuyasha conceded. "Still, it doesn't feel right to me that it was some jealous lover. Too many holes to it, and my gut just says no."

"Your gut?" Kagome said in surprise. "Maybe you will be able to remember something after all..."

"Maybe... Now maybe if my head didn't feel like it was splitting open every time I tried to remember something, we could get somewhere on that front," Inuyasha grumbled.

"It really hurts that much?" Kagome asked sympathetically.

"Yeah... Kinda like swimming down to a prize at the bottom of the ocean floor. Except the water's all acid," Inuyasha described.

"What a nice picture," Kagome said while grimacing. "Well, maybe your mind is protecting you from the memory. Like psychological repression as opposed to something physical in conjunction with your coma."

Inuyasha was looking at her blankly. "Psycho–what? Con–what?"

Kagome sighed. "You and your five lost years of education... I mean, maybe this is a problem with your mind instead of your body. Instead of your amnesia being a byproduct of being shot and put in a coma, maybe it's just because the memory was too awful to remember. Your mind suppressed it in order to help you cope. And so when you try to remember, your mind tries to prevent you and you just end up with a big headache."

"Ah."

"I'm not saying that's medically accurate or anything. I don't know for sure. But I read about repression in a psychology book a while back. It could be what's happening here," Kagome explained further.

"So what am I supposed to do?" Inuyasha asked, propping his chin in his hand.

"Well...erm...I'm not sure. But maybe instead of thinking so hard about it, you could first try relaxing and then idly thinking about that night?" Kagome suggested. "Or think about it before you go to bed and maybe you'll dream about it?" Inuyasha gave her a sceptical look. "Hey, it's worth a shot. _My_ dreams are scarily accurate."

"Yeah, but you're some sort of seer," Inuyasha pointed out. "I am not anything of the sort."

"Well, give it a chance anyway. We don't have any other ideas. And meanwhile, I'll check out and read some more psychology textbooks. They might tell us more about remembering suppressed memories," Kagome said.

"Alright," Inuyasha said. "But for now, the bell's about to ring. We have to pack up."

"Yeah," Kagome agreed, stuffing the clues paper into her notebook. "Good thing we accomplished so much on our Physics lab, huh?"

Inuyasha rolled his eyes and picked up his forgotten textbook. "Yeah, we're amazing. Well, maybe we'll accomplish more in our multi-study period."

"Here's hoping!" Kagome said, leading the way out of the library.

..:V:..

"Knock, knock!"

Inuyasha lifted his head from his Calculus homework to regard Miroku in his doorway. Before he could offer a word of greeting, Miroku marched quickly past him and sat down on Souta's bed. His purple eyes bored into Inuyasha's own golden ones with such intensity that Inuyasha began to shift uncomfortably in his seat.

A long moment passed before Miroku spoke once again. "I have a problem." Inuyasha had never seen his friend look so serious before.

"Ooookay..." Inuyasha said, unsure of how to proceed.

"It's Sango," the other boy said abruptly.

When he didn't offer anything else, Inuyasha was forced to speak once again. "And...? Is she alright?"

Miroku continued in rushed tones. "Oh, she's fine, totally fine. Well, _damn_ fine, if you know what I mean. Right? See what I did there?"

"I saw..." Inuyasha responded, clearly unimpressed.

"So fine... Very fine. Sango's a very fine girl. You know that, right, Inuyasha?"

"Sure I do."

"A fine girl born on a fine day. Yup, very fine indeed."

Inuyasha cocked his head and eyed his friend warily. "Are you alright?"

"The fine day, Inuyasha! It's approaching!" Miroku urged suddenly. "And I have nothing with which to adorn the fine lady!"

"...What the _heck_ are you talking about?" Inuyasha finally asked.

Miroku sighed in despair. "Sango's birthday's coming up and I don't know what to get her for a present!"

"Oh." Inuyasha shrugged and turned back towards his homework, "I'm sure you'll figure it out. But if you could help me with this calculus problem, Mir–"

"You don't understand!" Miroku interrupted. "This is it! This is the grand climax, the main event! The showdown to end all showdowns!"

"I...don't get what you're trying to say to me right now," Inuyasha said flatly.

"On the hallowed day that is her birthday, I'm going to ask her out!" Miroku exclaimed, standing up and starting to pace. "But the gift has to be perfect! It has to be the gift to end all gifts! It must be the most suiting and wonderful gift any person has ever given to another. It must encapsulate the entirety of my affections for her and reveal them with the utmost honesty and earnestness one could ever imagine!"

Inuyasha blinked. "Wow." He once again turned back to his homework. "But make sure you keep the receipt in case she turns you down."

Miroku gaped at his friend's back. "No support. None. Just whatever did I come to you for?"

Inuyasha shrugged. "Beats me."

Miroku sighed. "You have to help me, Inuyasha," he pleaded.

"I don't know the first thing about buying gifts for girls. Why would you come to me? Don't you have any other playboy friends that can help you out instead?" Inuyasha argued.

"Ahaha..." Miroku laughed without inflection. "Very funny. But one, all my other friends are girls and two, playboys by their very nature don't usually buy gifts for women. I mean, there are just too many..."

"Definitely hold on to that receipt," Inuyasha responded curtly.

"Despite your obvious belief I will be turned down flat, you are the only one I can rely on in this matter," Miroku replied, trying to keep his irritation at bay.

"You just said you had a ton of girl friends. Wouldn't they be more qualified in helping pick out a gift for another girl?" Inuyasha said, still trying to get out of the task.

"Inuyasha, learn some tact. How would they feel if their beloved Miroku was using them to buy a gift for another woman? Their jealousy would undeniably get out of hand. I wouldn't be able to handle making that many women upset and heartbroken, carrying out a task so clearly despicable to them but that they would endure just to see me achieve a sliver of happiness... Oh, it's too much to bear!" the black haired boy cried dramatically.

Inuyasha stared at him for a few moments before replying. "In fact, I think you should just go ahead and laminate it."

Miroku dropped his airs and looked over to the other boy. "Laminate what?"

"The recei–"

"Oh, you're coming with me whether you like it or not!" Miroku grabbed Inuyasha's wrist and pulled him to his feet. "Grab your coat and let's go, smart ass."

..:V:..

"What do you think of a necklace?" Miroku asked anxiously. "Do you think she'd like a necklace?"

The two boys had travelled downtown and were currently in a small shop full of knickknacks.

Inuyasha shrugged nonchalantly. "I dunno. She's _your_ girlfriend."

Miroku gripped him by the shoulders, his eyes full of panic. "Have you missed the entire point to this outing? She's _not_ my girlfriend! Not yet, anyways, and this is the make or break choice! It all rides on this!"

Inuyasha wormed his way out of Miroku's grip. "Chill, dude. Didn't she actually say she'd be happy no matter what you got her? Isn't that what you _just _told me she said to you?

"Aah, but that's how they get you, my friend," Miroku said slyly. "They _say_ they don't want anything or they don't care what it is, but they do! And if you make the wrong choice, they judge you and all your chances with them are forever shot!"

Inuyasha gulped. "R-really?"

"Oh yes. 'I don't care what you get me' is actually the severest of tests. If I fail this, getting together with Sango will never happen!"

"How do you know all this if you've never bought women gifts before?"

"Inuyasha, please. As you said earlier, all my friends are girls. What do girls like to talk about more than their love issues? And in my case, I get to hear about how all their ex-boyfriends jilted and wronged them. Always with a 'But _you'd_ never treat us that way, right, Miroku?' tacked on to the end. And now my time is at hand and I might make that fatal misstep myself!"

Inuyasha rolled his eyes. "You really get way over dramatic when you're nervous. Besides...I don't think Sango would be _that_ judgemental."

"_All_ girls are. Kagome's bound to be as well."

Inuyasha started at this, and then swallowed thickly. "Well, but...what if you're already together? Are your chances still shot if you get it wrong?"

Miroku waved him off. "If you're already together, you're _set_. You've got it _made_. You could forget her birthday entirely and just a little grovelling and declarations of how much you love her will get you back in her good graces... Wait, what did you just say?"

Inuyasha blinked innocently. "What?"

"Y-you...and Kagome...are already together?"

Inuyasha coughed and reached out to finger the nearest piece of jewellery. "I think a necklace really suits Sango myself. She strikes me as a necklace sort of girl!"

A soft thud was heard as Miroku's wallet dropped from his hands to the floor. "Oh god...so it's true... Oh how? How could this happen?"

"...Sorry?" Inuyasha apologized uneasily.

"How could the two most socially inept people in the school start dating each other before I've even made my first move on Sango?!"

Inuyasha let the socially inept comment slide. "You've made plenty of moves on Sango! That's why you're always getting slapped, remember?"

"I haven't made a _real_ move," Miroku protested. "Those were just jokes, goofing around. This is the _real deal_. And I'm totally going to screw it up!"

"You might not," Inuyasha suggested helpfully. "She seems to like you already."

"Really?" Miroku's face brightened.

"I think so anyway," the half demon wavered.

"That's not very encouraging," Miroku sighed returning to his slump.

"Well...what about getting her one of those?" Inuyasha said, pointing to a collection of bejewelled boxes further down the row.

Miroku made his way down the row until he was in line with the items. After careful inspection, he raised the lid of one of the boxes and delicate music wafted throughout the store. "Music boxes!" he declared in delight. "Inuyasha, this is perfect!" He proceeded to lift the lid of every box in the collection in turn, listening to the various songs they played. Finally he settled on one that seemed to satisfy him. "This is music from the ballet Giselle, Inuyasha. Sango told me her grandmother took her to see it when she was little, and she loved it. This is the one! This is the gift to end all gifts!"

"Joy and rapture," Inuyasha replied in a bored tone. "Can we go now?"

"Yes, yes, just let me pay for it," Miroku said, clearly excited.

After making the purchase, the two boys excited the shop and started to make their way back to the bus stop. Miroku seemed now to be much more relaxed, and could finally think about something other than his crisis.

"So how did you and Kagome hooking up happen, anyway?" he asked casually.

Inuyasha stumbled slightly before regaining his composure and continuing to walk. "Er...it's kind of a long story. But uh...it happened this past Sunday night."

"And you waited until now to tell me?!" Miroku protested. "Am I your friend or not! Come on, man, real friends share their conquests with each other almost as soon as they happen!"

"Conquests?"

Miroku coughed slightly. "Well, you know... Ahem, terminology isn't what's important right now. What's important is that you waited five days to tell me about it!"

"Well...ah..." Inuyasha felt himself go red.

Miroku noticed. "Oh, I see. You're at _that_ stage."

"What stage?"

"The stage where you're embarrassed and delighted about it at the same time. And where you're afraid that if you speak about it out loud, somehow it will turn out not to be true. I remember when I first experienced that feeling myself..." Miroku reminisced.

"Really? When did it happen for you?" Inuyasha asked eagerly.

"When I was seven," Miroku responded flatly.

"Oh. You _are_ a player, aren't you?"

"I prefer 'admirer of women'."

"You know, in order to actually start dating Sango, you're going to have to change that 'women' to '_woman'_. You know that, right?" Inuyasha queried.

"Of course I do! Listen to me, Inuyasha. This is going to be different from all those flings in the past. This is the real thing! A real relationship. And I wouldn't consider going through with it for anyone but my sweet Sango," Miroku replied, his voice softening.

Inuyasha eyed him out of the corner of his eye. "Well you sound genuine so I hope–"

He was abruptly cut off by a loud bang that rang throughout the street. Suddenly Inuyasha's head felt like it was splitting open and he fell to the ground, clutching his skull. The smell of gunpowder reached his sensitive nose as he heard a woman scream, "_Inuyasha, ruuuuuun!"_ His vision was completely black but he felt his back started to throb between his shoulder blades.

As the pain began to intensify, he was jolted by the sound of Miroku's voice by his ear. "Inuyasha! Inuyasha, are you okay?"

He opened his eyes to see and feel the cold pavement he was lying on. He was huddled up in a ball and as he slowly unfurled himself, he looked up at Miroku in bewilderment.

"Are you okay?" his friend repeated.

"Yeah..." Inuyasha replied slowly, noticing that all previous pain was subsiding. "What...what happened?"

Miroku scratched the back of his head. "Well...a car down the street backfired and then you suddenly fell down, holding onto your head. ...Are you sure you're alright?"

"Yeah...no, I'm fine. Car backfiring? It sounded an awful lot like..."

"What?"

_A gunshot_, Inuyasha thought grimly, though he hesitated to say it aloud. "Nothing, never mind. I just felt really dizzy all of a sudden, that's all. Let's go home."

Miroku shot him another worried looked but assented. Without another word between them, they hopped on the bus and headed home.

..:V:..

"What do you think it meant?" Kagome asked Inuyasha later that night as the two of them sat on his bed. He had just finished relating the events of the day, hoping to make sense of it.

"I don't know..." Inuyasha admitted. "It was so sudden... And it felt like I had actually been shot, though of course it was all in my head. It was just a car backfiring after all."

Kagome's eyes lit up. "Maybe it _is_ all in your head!"

"Excuse me?"

"Could it have been...a memory?" she suggested tentatively. "Remember what we talked about yesterday? And you were saying that your head hurt every time you tried to remember something?"

"You think that's what that was?" Inuyasha asked. "So then...the pain in my back...was what it was like when I was shot five years ago?" As soon as the words were out of his mouth, a chill ran up his spine.

"It could have been..." Kagome said quietly, the import of their theory weighing down on her.

"But the car was what triggered it... I don't think I could have remembered that much on my own," Inuyasha admitted.

"Maybe not yet," Kagome frowned. "But at least it proves that your memories _are_ still hidden away somewhere in your head, instead of lost forever. There's still hope, Inuyasha!"

"I guess you're right," he replied wryly, before staring off into space.

He hadn't told Kagome about the voice he'd heard during his moment of pain. He had a good idea of who it might have belonged to. And if Kagome was right, and he was capable of recovering his memories, he shuddered to think of what he would remember. It was likely to be a living nightmare.

..:V:..

Kagome looked up from the book she was reading as Sango trooped into their shared room Sunday night. She couldn't help but grin as she took in her roommate's flushed cheeks and the gift bag she held in her hands.

"And how's the birthday girl this evening?" she smirked.

The red on Sango's cheeks darkened further and she beelined for her bed. Dropping her purse on the mattress, she opened the gift bag and carefully withdrew a jewelled box. "The birthday girl is fine, thank you."

Kagome sprang up and went to examine the gift. "Wow, Sango – that's gorgeous! Did you–know–who give it to you?" she teased lightly.

"I have no idea who you mean," Sango replied airily.

"Oh, you know... Tall, dark hair, gorgeous violet eyes, _great_ body..."

"Hey you! Back off!" Sango cut in. "You already have Inuyasha, you can't take Miroku too!"

"Oh, so you _do_ know who I was talking about," Kagome smiled deviously.

Sango opened her mouth as if to retort, and then snapped it shut when she realized she'd been caught. "Okay, fine. _You–know–who_ gave it to me. But seriously, lady – I already have enough competition with like ever other girl on this planet; I don't need to fight you for him too!"

Kagome laughed. "Have no fear, I will completely back away from your personal man-hunk."

Sango sunk down on her bed and opened the box. Delicate refrains wafted into the room and she gazed down at the music box with an almost sad look. "That's the problem, though. He's _not_ my personal _anything_."

"What do you mean?" Kagome asked, sitting down on the bed beside her. "He adores you."

Sango didn't respond to this, but instead continued staring at the box in her hands. After a moment, she said, "He asked me out today, you know. Like...to be his exclusive girlfriend."

Kagome clapped her hands happily. "Sango, that's awesome! I'm so happy for you!" When Sango continued to stare unhappily at her present, Kagome deflated. "But...you're not happy. Why not? Isn't this what you want? Isn't this your dream come true?"

Sango wrinkled her nose. "Okay, I'm not _that_ much of a pathetic sap."

"...Did you turn him down?" Kagome asked cautiously.

"...No."

"Did you say yes then?"

"...No."

"What the heck _did_ you say then?" Kagome asked, wondering how Miroku must have taken all of this.

Sango sighed and raked her fingers through her hair. "I told him to take me to the Christmas dance and that I'd give him my answer then."

Kagome frowned. "But you're planning on saying no?"

"I..." Sango seemed at a loss of words. "I don't _know_...!"

"...Okay, how about you just give me a rundown of what happened," Kagome suggested.

Sango shut the lid on the music box and sat up straighter on the bed. "Okay. So here's the deal. He picked me up at five, while you were out with your brother. Then he gave me this rose," she said, fingering the flower that had been resting gently on her pillow.

"Ah," Kagome interrupted. "I was wondering if there was a story behind that."

Sango smiled softly. "Yeah. So anyways, he then took me out to this beautiful diner downtown called Zephero's. I ordered the chicken parmesan and he had the alfredo pasta... It was delicious," Sango related, seeming to relish in every detail. "And then guess where we went next!"

"I have no idea. Why don't you tell me?"

"We went to the park," Sango sighed dreamily.

Kagome blinked. "Thrilling."

"Shut up, it made me happy," Sango joked with a wry smile. "Anyways, we just kind of strolled through the park and uh...flirted shamelessly. Eventually we sat down on a bench and he gave me my gift." She stroked the edges of the music box with her fingers. "This is one of my favourite pieces of music, you know? I can't believe he remembered..."

"So what happened next?" Kagome pressed.

"Well...that was pretty much when he sprung the question on me," Sango said awkwardly.

"And?"

"I don't think I've ever felt so happy," Sango admitted shyly.

"See! It _was_ your dream come true," Kagome boasted proudly.

"Well, it only lasted a couple seconds though," the brunette continued. "I was so overwhelmed at first, thinking how I never thought he'd ask me out of all the girls he was always surrounded by, how the night was so perfect and how it was always so much better when it was just the two of us alone together...

"And then I couldn't help thinking that those moments were really rare. And most of the time, we _were_ with other people. And there _were_ all those other girls. And how if any of them are in the room, I only ever have half his attention. And that was enough to make me hesitate.

"So I asked him if he could escort me to the Christmas dance and wait to hear my answer there," she concluded. "Soon after, we came back to campus. It was kind of awkward and tense all the way home though."

"Holy..." Kagome breathed. "So you're basically completely lost?"

"Totally up the creek without a paddle."

"Gotcha." Kagome drummed her fingers on her chin. "But you know what you really wanna do, don't you?

"I want to jump that boy and ravish him until–" she caught Kagome's look, "Uh, yeah, I have a pretty good idea."

"Well then..." Kagome trailed off in a persuasive tone.

"But is it really a _smart_ choice? Wouldn't I just be setting myself up for heartbreak? Uncontrollable jealousy, abused emotions and never-ending bitterness?" Sango sighed morosely.

"...Maybe?" Kagome said uneasily. She was no good at comforting others so she really didn't know what to say.

"Why don't we just trade?" Sango ribbed. "I'll take Inuyasha and you can have Miroku."

"You were just saying a few minutes ago how I couldn't have him," Kagome reminded her. "Really, which is it? Do you want to give him up without trying, or do you want to take on the challenge and put up a fight?" She was just pulling things out of the air at this point.

Sango pouted. "You just don't want to give up Inuyasha. No fair, how'd you get the unerringly loyal and devoted guy?"

Kagome blushed. "I don't know, it just happened..." she said shyly, fidgeting with the comforter.

Sango waved her off negligently. "Your love speak makes me sick."

Kagome stuck out her tongue. "You're the one who asked."

Sango flung herself backwards onto the bed, hands covering her face. "Ugh! What am I going to doooo?"

"Follow your heart?" Kagome quipped.

"Stupid fleshy organ!" Sango muttered bitterly. "What has the blasted thing ever done for me?"

"Well...if it makes you feel better, you have approximately two days to think it over. And since we're now on Christmas holidays, you can just sit in this room and think about it for all of those delicious forty-eight hours."

"Are you trying to comfort me or condemn me to torment?"

Kagome shrugged. "Both, I suppose." She stood up from the bed. "But you might want to keep in mind... How many other girls has he given such a thoughtful gift to? How many other girls does he make time for every day, without fail? How many other girls has he asked to be his exclusive girlfriend? Maybe you're something special to him after all..." With that, Kagome headed to the bathroom to wash up before bed.

Sango rolled over onto her stomach, gazing thoughtfully at the rose and music box nestled beside her on the bed.

..:V:..

"How's my bow tie?"

"Still fine." Inuyasha yawned lazily.

"You'd tell me if it were crooked, right?" Miroku asked frantically.

Inuyasha blinked owlishly at him. "No."

"God, you are the worst wingman ever," Miroku whined. "I'm dying here, man! Throw me a bone!"

"What can I possibly do to make Sango say yes to dating you?" Inuyasha asked. "Seriously, I should be warning her to stay away."

"Why? Why? What have I ever done to you? Why do you have to say things like that? Why can't you just be like, 'No, Miroku, you're worrying too much, man. Everything will be great. She totally digs you too'?" Miroku's voice seemed to increase in pitch the longer he rambled.

"Because I'm not a douchebag with five popped collars?" Inuyasha suggested helpfully.

Miroku was prevented from responding by the fact that the two of them had reached the girls' dorm room. Wiping his sweaty palms on his pants, he chimed, "Here goes!"

Almost as soon as he rapped on the door, it was opened by Kagome. She was wearing a halter top green dress that complimented her figure perfectly, and Miroku could hear Inuyasha swallow thickly beside him.

She smiled at seeing them, but Miroku noticed her eyes definitely lingered on his "wingman" dressed in black slacks and a silky red dress shirt. _Damn this happy couple!_ he cursed in his mind.

"Shall we head out?" she asked Inuyasha, and the poor boy jerked his head in a robotic nod. Taking his arm, Kagome paused a moment to turn to Miroku. "Sango will just be a second, she was just putting her earrings in."

"Thanks, Kagome," Miroku said, smiling tightly as he watched the two of them take off down the hall.

"Miroku?"

At the sound of his name, Miroku turned back around and almost choked. Before him stood Sango in an elegant curve-hugging red dress, hair styled into an up-do and dark eyes glimmering. Quickly recovering, he gave a bow. "Sango, my dear, you look absolutely ravishing this evening."

The corner of her lips turned up in a smile and she dropped into a curtsey. "Why thank you, sir. You look pretty dashing yourself."

Miroku suddenly became very self-conscious about his suit. "Too much?" he asked with a cough.

"Au contraire. I think you pull it off perfectly," she replied.

"Well then, shall we be on our way then?" Miroku asked, offering his arm.

"We shall," Sango replied, taking his arm after locking her dorm room door.

_Be cool, Miroku, just be cool_, the mantra in Miroku's head kept repeating as he led his date down the hall and towards what could be the best – or worst – night of his life.

..:V:..

After showing their tickets and gaining admission to the dance, Inuyasha and Kagome strolled over to the punch table to get a drink. As Inuyasha held up his drink cup, he frowned at it. "Why did we come again? Didn't we hate the last dance we came to?"

Kagome paused for a moment to think, and then laughed aloud. "You're right! I think Sango got me caught up in the excitement somehow. And then I got to thinking that it might be a nice break from all the...stuff that's been going on with us. I forgot about how crappy it was last time though... Do you think it was a bad idea?"

Inuyasha downed his drink in one gulp and then placed his hands on her hips, pulling her towards him. "No way..." he said, his breath hot on her ear. "Not when you look like this."

Kagome blushed furiously at this. Since when had Inuyasha gotten so bold? It was certainly a change from his usually shy self, but maybe his teenage hormones were finally catching up to him... Not that she minded either side of him, as she felt her love for him grow.

As a melodic song came over the speakers, Inuyasha began pulling her in the direction of the dance floor. "Let's dance, Kagome."

"But I'm not finished my drink," she protested, holding up her cup that was still half full.

Inuyasha growled a bit in impatience. He took the drink from her and put it back on the table. "Finish it later."

Kagome was bewildered by his commanding presence. "Do you even know how to dance?"

Inuyasha sniffed in mock indignance and a lightness returned to the atmosphere between them. "Of course. My family had to attend to a bunch of fancy balls and stuff when I was younger. So my mom insisted I learn the proper art of ballroom dancing."

Kagome blinked. "Wow, I'm impressed. But you're not going to be, because I never learned any of that."

"That's okay," Inuyasha said, staring at her intensely. "All you need to do is follow my lead." With that, his one hand took up hers as the other came to settle on her back.

Whenever he took a step, his body language left no doubt as to where and how she was supposed to follow. Kagome found it easy to keep up with him as they swayed in time to the music. Despite picking it up easily, she mainly kept her gaze on her feet or in the direction they were headed, but once or twice her eyes met his and it caused her breath to hitch in her throat.

He was gazing down at her softly, as if unaware of anything else in the world. She was his sole focus and in that moment, it was doubtful anything could have torn his attention away. A few times during their dance, his arms would tighten around her reflexively, as if trying to guard a most precious treasure.

The second time she caught him looking at her that way, Kagome was forced to bury her face in his shoulder. Overwhelming emotion had rushed through her and she had felt tears spring to her eyes. When he gazed at her like that, she felt like the safest and most loved girl in the world. She felt like no hardship could ever reach her and it reminded her of a time before her personal nightmare had begun, back when her parents were alive and every day was filled with bliss. She never thought she'd see any light in her life anymore, but being in Inuyasha's arms felt like no darkness could reach her ever again. She sighed and nestled further into his embrace.

Inuyasha felt the girl snuggle closer and dropped his arms so both hands could settle on her lower back. He slowed their steps and abandoned the waltz in favour of swaying slowly from foot to foot, a form of dance much more acceptable to the teenage company they were in. They had garnered quite a bit of attention during their display, not that the pair had had the presence of mind to notice.

Kagome's arms snaked around Inuyasha's neck and her head tucked neatly under his chin. "Mmmm," she murmured. "I could stay here forever."

The soft refrains of the song slowly faded out, only to be replaced by a hip hop number with a heavy beat.

Kagome pushed herself back from Inuyasha's chest. "And there's forever! So glad we had this dance."

Inuyasha smirked and took her hand in his, leading her off the dance floor. Kagome was blushing profusely, which seemed to be her new look for the evening. How did he manage to make her lose her mind so easily? Before this evening, she always felt as if she had her wits about her when in the presence of Inuyasha. But tonight he was scattering her thoughts and making her heart flutter like nothing she had ever experienced before.

His arm wrapped around her waist and pulled her to his side as they reached the punch table once more. He grabbed her a new cup of punch since her old one had already been cleared away. As he went to hand it to her, her eyes were inevitably drawn to his exposed collarbone. Inuyasha had unbuttoned an extra button after their dance and for some reason, the sight of this bit of flesh sent Kagome's pulse pounding anew.

She had to get a grip on herself. Earlier she had been thinking Inuyasha had succumbed to his hormones, but now she considered it might be the other way around. Never getting close to anyone in her life inevitably had pushed away all possibilities for love. Now that she was experiencing these emotions for the first time, she feared they were rapidly spiralling beyond her control.

"Wow, they're really going at it," Inuyasha's voice broke her out of her reverie.

"Huh?" Kagome uttered, her eyes following the direction of Inuyasha's gaze.

In the middle of the dance floor, Sango and Miroku were dancing intimately, but with just the right amount of attitude to suit the hip hop song accompanying them. One look told Kagome they still hadn't discussed their situation, as the tension between them seemed to be at a palpable level, and fuelling the heat of their dance.

"Hope everything's going okay..." she mused to Inuyasha.

..:V:..

Sango let the rhythm of the music pound through her body as she danced unabashedly with Miroku. Despite his appearance as a bookworm, he was no slouch on the dance floor. She tried to clear her head and focus on the beat, loving the feeling of his hands on her waist.

As soon as they'd entered the gym, her anxiety had gotten the best of her. Still unsure of what to say to Miroku, she'd decided to put it off by enticing him into a dance. Now she was in the midst of it and her head was still a mess. She knew the dance was likely to lead him to think she was going to agree to date him, but at that moment, she didn't care.

She needed more time to think. Forty-eight hours hadn't been nearly enough. She knew she had fallen for the handsome boy, but she also knew how easy it would be to be hurt. The boy went gaga over the female form, _any_ female form, and Sango wasn't sure if she would be able to compete with that and hold his interest. Which would just set her up for unbearable heartache.

She was a strong girl. She wouldn't allow herself to be caught in a relationship where she wasn't properly respected and taken care of.

Miroku was dancing behind her, his hands passing over her stomach and his breath on the nape of her neck. God, it felt good. Could she really turn this boy aside, even if it was in her best interests?

She heard him breathe her name behind her and it sent shivers down her spine. He was weakening her resolve, little by little. Hearing her name from his lips made her long to hear it every day for the rest of her life. It was so tender and loving, with a hint of longing that sent her senses reeling. It really did make her feel that she was special to him...

The dance ended and they detached awkwardly from each other. Sango caught Miroku looking at her with a question in his eyes and she started to panic.

"Sango–"

"I'm going to get some punch," she interrupted abruptly. "I'll be right back, so stay here, okay?"

Before he could say another word, she turned on her heel and beelined for the refreshments. By the time she got there, she was out of breath and she wasn't sure whether it was due to the dance, her anxiety or the memory of how Miroku's body felt against hers.

Refusing to think about it, she downed a cup of punch and grabbed a new one quickly. It was only when she reached the bottom of the second glass that she noticed Kagome and Inuyasha were two feet away, staring at her intensely.

"Alright there, Sango?" Kagome asked.

"Kagome, thank god!" Sango cried, pulling her away from her boyfriend. "What am I going to do?" she asked frantically.

"You _still_ haven't figured it out?" her roommate asked.

Sango shook her head hopelessly. "I know what I _want_ to do, which is the whole 'following your heart' thing we discussed earlier. But then there's this other organ called my _brain_ which is all like, 'no Sango, that's the worst idea you've ever had. Do you _want_ to end up like those stupid, passive girls who get cheated on constantly by their sex-crazed boyfriends?'. And the two of them just can't seem to come to any sort of agreement and I'm so tired and just want the whole problem to disappear on its own!"

Kagome looked at her friend in sympathy. "That's pretty rough... I'm not sure what to tell you either. Obviously I'd like to see the two of you happy together, but if you don't think it will work out well in the end..."

"Keh."

The two girls turned to see Inuyasha sporting an annoyed expression, but determinedly not looking in their direction.

"Did you have something to add, Oh Hearing–Enhanced One?" Kagome remarked lightly.

Inuyasha looked as if he was resisting saying anything for a moment, before his resolve withered away. "He may be an idiot pervert...but you're the only girl he ever talks about..." He paused before continuing, "And he talks so goddamn much about you, it's enough to make me sick! All I ever hear is 'Sango this' or 'Sango that'. It's like the guy doesn't even notice anyone else. Hello, there _are_ other people and they're trying to get help with their Chemistry homework, thank you very much. Jeez, what an asshole."

Sango blinked and then giggled. Despite Inuyasha's crude manner, she understood the point he was trying to get at. If Miroku really adored her as much as everyone kept telling her he did...

Her eyes drifted back to the dance floor and widened.

In her absence, Miroku had become surrounded by girls, most of whom she recognized as those who had hung out with him at lunch before he had switched tables. One girl in particular was drawing him into an intimate dance, despite his feeble protests. Her arms went around his neck and she drew her body flush against his. Miroku tried to put his hands on her shoulders and push her away, but she only snuggled closer.

As Sango watched, the girl's hand trailed down from his neck so she could grab his butt, whispering words in his ear all the while.

"Oh, she did not just–" Kagome was cut off by the sound of Sango crushing her empty cup in her fist. Attention redirected, Kagome tried to salvage the situation, "Sango, I'm sure Miroku doesn't want that! He's totally trying to push her away, look!"

Kagome's cries were ignored as Sango tossed her cup aside and marched towards the dance floor.

"Oh, this can't end well..." Kagome said, biting her lip and gripping Inuyasha's arm.

As Sango neared the group surrounding Miroku, the girl attached to him took everything to a whole new level. Taking his face into her hands, she dragged his mouth down her hers.

Sango felt her blood boil and knew there was only one way to answer Miroku's offer after all. She stormed forward and grabbed the girl's shoulder, whipping her around. Miroku looked stunned and, after seeing Sango's face, panicked.

"What's your problem?" the girl who had just forced herself on Miroku asked, annoyed. "We were just having fun."

"My _problem_," Sango seethed, "is that you were kissing my _boyfriend_."

The girl stared at her in shock for a moment before laughing. "Are you kidding me? Miroku doesn't go steady, he shares his love with everyone," she smirked, giving the boy in question a wink.

"Maybe because he'd never found someone who could satisfy him before," Sango snapped, looking the girl up and down with disdain. "Have you ever made him feel like this?"

Before anyone had a chance to react, Sango grabbed the gaping Miroku by his lapels and kissed him fiercely.

Poor Miroku had no idea what was going on, but he suddenly found himself in a passionate kiss with the girl he adored. His mind had only long enough to think, "What the–" before all reason gave way and instincts took over.

Wrapping his arms around her, he crushed her body to his as he deepened the kiss. Her grip on his jacket relaxed and her hands travelled up to rake themselves in his hair. He groaned as her tongue darted into his mouth and without thinking, he let his hands travel down to her rear.

His eyes snapped open when he realized what he'd just done, knowing the inevitable consequences. He made to pull away and apologize when she moaned and pulled him closer instead. Miroku felt himself blush to his roots, but gave in once more to the heat of their exchange.

When they finally parted, both of them were light-headed and out of breath. A small crowed of gawkers had gathered around them, but the pair remained oblivious of the extra attention.

"I hope you didn't just kiss me like that to turn me down," Miroku panted.

"You better prepare yourself, Miroku," Sango warned. "I won't let any other girl go near you ever again. And if you stray from me, so help me, you don't want to know what I will do to you."

"I can very well imagine..." Miroku responded wryly.

"The only reason I ever hesitated about dating you was the possibility of me getting hurt," Sango continued. "But I know now that I wouldn't be able to stand seeing you with another girl. So in order to be with you, I will crush any competition that comes along. I will make it so I'm the only girl in your eyes. So I'm telling you again, Miroku. Prepare yourself, because from now on, mine is the _only_ ass you're allowed to grab."

"Somehow, I don't think I've ever been more turned on..." Miroku admitted in a wry tone. Drawing her closer, he gently touched his forehead to hers and looked into her eyes, noticing how they softened in response. "But I don't think you understand the entirety of my affections for you. For many months now, you _have_ been the only girl I could see. And you're the last person in the world I would ever want to hurt."

"You better mean that," Sango replied, her voice shaking a little.

"Oh, you can be assured of that," Miroku smiled as he captured her lips in a sweet kiss.

The crowd of onlookers were completely ignored, and the girls who had previously circled Miroku stood agape at this development. Some, including the girl who had kissed him, looked particularly indignant, but Miroku and Sango were too wrapped up in themselves to pay them any heed.

From the sidelines, Kagome and Inuyasha were shocked.

"Wow..."

"Yeah..."

"Didn't know Sango had it in her," Kagome said.

"You're telling me," Inuyasha agreed.

"I guess that problem's solved then... Man, was she bold!" she exclaimed with a touch of admiration in her voice.

With a smirk, Inuyasha asked, "What, you wouldn't do that for me? What if I were being pursued by a bunch of girls?"

Kagome stuck out her tongue before turning away from him. "Tch, who's going to come after you? I don't even know how I got stuck with you."

Inuyasha's arms wrapped around her waist and his mouth came down to her ear. "Aw, that's mean, Kagome. You know it's because of my devilishly good looks..."

"And irresistibly adorable ears!"

"Listen, wench–!" he was cut off by the sound of Kagome's giggles, causing him to pout.

Kagome leaned back slightly and turned her head to look at him. "What do you want for Christmas anyway? It's only a few days away..."

"Doesn't matter to me," Inuyasha said nonchalantly. "Maybe you could come visit me at Sesshoumaru's? He wants me to go back home for the rest of the break. Something about family bonding, but he probably just wants me to babysit Rin."

"That'd be fun!" Kagome said, becoming excited. "Do you think Souta could come too?"

"Sure, why not? Maybe even the new lovebirds will come by," Inuyasha said, nodding towards Miroku and Sango, still lost in their own little world. "The more people filling up Sesshoumaru's house, the more likely he'll get a headache. That would be the best Christmas present ever," he snorted.

"Oh, be good," Kagome chided lightly. "But this will be really great. I haven't celebrated Christmas properly in a long time."

"Keh, me neither. But mostly because I wasn't conscious," Inuyasha joked bitterly.

Kagome brought up her hand to cup his cheek. "Then we'll have to make this one extra special, won't we?"

"Yeah," Inuyasha mumbled in assent, leaning into her hand.

"But for now, I want another dance," Kagome said, her tone lightening as she broke away from his embrace to face him.

"You're on," Inuyasha grinned in response. "But if the music starts changing to what it was during the Halloween dance, we're making a break for the roof again."

"Deal."

With that, the two made their way onto the dance floor to join the new couple and enjoy the rest of their night.

* * *

A/N Alrighty then. Next chapter will have more plot-related stuff happening in it, and hopefully I can find inspiration to write that quicker than I did this chapter!

And remember, no matter how long it's been between updates...I'm going to finish this sucker if it's the last thing I do!!!


	14. Once Upon A Time

Disclaimer: Shockingly enough, I don't own him. I know, crazy. Someone should look into this.

A/N Hello, everybody. Been awhile, hasn't it? I meant to update this chapter back in July... I had 16 pages written, but I hadn't finished writing all the material I wanted to put into it. But I had to go out of town for a couple weeks. I thought it would be no big deal to pick it up again when I got back... Yeah, so one ridiculous set of circumstances happened after another and here I am a couple months later and only two pages extra. So I decided to update what I had before something ELSE pops up. I shall do my best to continue the rest of the material as soon as possible to get the next chapter out swiftly (here's hoping – I know I say this every time).

Anyways, enjoy!

* * *

"Souta, do you have everything?" Kagome asked her younger brother as she stuffed another shirt into her backpack.

"Of course," Souta replied. "I was ready ages ago. It's _you_ we're both waiting for. I mean, it's just a couple of days, Kagome – how much stuff do you need?"

"I just want to be prepared, that's all," Kagome said defensively. "You never know what unexpected things might come up, forcing us to stay longer, or get stranded somewhere..."

"Relax, Miss Overthinker. We're going to Inuyasha's house, not Hawaii. I think we can manage to get there and back relatively as planned."

"Yeah, yeah," Kagome muttered as if annoyed, though a small smile played at the corner of her mouth. "Let me just grab one last thing..." She picked up a psychology textbook from her bedside table and shoved it in her bag.

"_Now_ are you ready?" Souta asked, exasperated.

"Sure am. Let's go down and meet Inuyasha," Kagome said, ruffling his hair and skipping past him.

Inuyasha was waiting for them outside, leaning on the hood of a limousine. When he saw them come out of the school doors, he grinned and gave a flourishing gesture to their ride. "The chariot awaits."

Souta's eyes widened. "Where'd you get a hold of _this_, Inuyasha?"

"Yeah, really," Kagome uttered her shared astonishment.

"Apparently Sesshoumaru was willing to part with it long enough to transport you guys to the house," Inuyasha responded wryly. "But we better be quick. If he's separated too long from things that remind him how insufferably rich he is, he starts to get cranky."

"Gotcha," Kagome laughed as she lifted her small suitcase into the trunk of the expensive car. Souta tossed in his backpack and then dove into the cushy backseat. The other two piled in after him. "How is living with Sesshoumaru once again?" she asked once they were all settled and the chauffeur started the car.

Inuyasha made a face. "Thank god it's temporary, is all I can say. I'm already sick of his classical music, constant watching of the news, and his unholy obsession with the stock market. Not to mention his very strange preference for all things bran. Cereal, muffins, you name it! It's not a major food group, you know! Seriously, Rin is the only thing remotely interesting about him. I _still_ can't get my head wrapped around how they ended up together."

Kagome's giggle interrupted his rant. "So you're having a good time, I can see."

Inuyasha rolled his eyes and suppressed the next half hour of his rant. "Yeah, it's a thrill. And how's the school been in my absence?"

It was Kagome's turn to roll her eyes. "Same as usual except much duller. No classes and hardly anyone else there makes it pretty quiet. I've mostly just been reading psychology textbooks. Trying to find reasons for your memory loss and ways to help you gain it back."

Inuyasha stole a glance at Souta, who was paying attention. As if to answer his unspoken question, the boy said, "I know you're the boy in her visions. She told me it was you right after she found out. I also know all about your parents and the coma. Sorry that I know things I shouldn't."

Inuyasha regarded him for a moment before shrugging. "The whole city knows, one more kid's not going to make a difference. Well, they know about my parents and the coma, anyway. Not so much about my imminent demise." He was glad at this point for the glass barrier separating them from the driver so he couldn't overhear.

"For what it's worth, I'd really rather you didn't die," Souta offered.

"Thanks kid," Inuyasha responded wryly. Turning back to Kagome, he asked, "So did you find out anything useful?"

"I have a few ideas. The closest cause I could find to match what's happened is called repression. It's supposedly a defence mechanism against trauma. Your mind forces itself to forget what happened to save you more emotional damage," Kagome said.

"Gee, that _really_ makes me want to remember now," Inuyasha interjected.

"It was a common theory for a while that hypnosis would draw out repressed memories, apparently. But that was kind of shot down the tubes when people started remembering things that never actually happened, due to the hypnotists' accidental suggestions."

"Sooo, we're not going the hypnosis route then?" Inuyasha guessed.

"I'd say not. Unless you want to stir up fictional memories of molestation," Kagome proposed.

"You know, I think I'm good on that front. I think we should move on," Inuyasha said hastily.

"I thought you might feel that way. Anyways, I don't think outright forcing the memories to surface will work – which is kind of proved by the fact you'd only get headaches when you tried before. I think we need to take a more subtle, gentle and roundabout approach," Kagome mused.

"Like what?" Souta wondered.

"I'm still working that part out," Kagome admitted. "I'll let you guys know when I've come up with something I think might work."

"Fair enough," Inuyasha conceded. "But, you know...take all the time you need, really. I hear emotional trauma isn't all that it's cracked up to be."

"Fancy that," she responded.

The rest of the ride was relatively uneventful, spent mostly by discussing Christmas plans for the following day. Soon enough they arrived in front of Sesshoumaru's grandiose house, the lawn and gardens looking as manicured as ever. As they alighted from the limousine, the man himself and his adoptive daughter came out of the house to greet them.

"Kagome!" Rin cried, making a dash for the older girl.

"Hey, Rin! How's it going?" Kagome asked, giving her a hug.

"Good! Uncle Sesshoumaru has been teaching me how to make paper cranes!"

"Wow, how exciting! By the way, Rin, I'd like you to meet my younger brother, Souta," Kagome said, indicating her brother who was stepping out of the car.

He gave the younger girl a lopsided grin. "Hi, Rin. Nice to meet you."

"Nice to meet you!" Rin responded in kind.

"Well, that's fabulous. Everyone's acquainted," Sesshoumaru drawled as he walked up. "How about you all do something useful and take your bags inside the house?"

Inuyasha bristled at his tone. "Oh sorry, did we interrupt tea time?"

"Don't be ridiculous," Sesshoumaru said, turning away to head back to the house, Rin at his heels. Over his shoulder, he continued, "Tea time is not for another four hours."

Inuyasha rolled his eyes and hauled Kagome's suitcase out of the trunk. "What a ponce."

Despite herself, Kagome snorted in laughter. And then chided Souta for doing the same.

The three of them made their way up the walk as the chauffeur drove the limousine around the side of the house, presumably to a private garage. Inuyasha gave the siblings the grand tour of the house, though Kagome had seen most of it upon her last visit. Kagome was offered her previous guest room, and Souta was offered one right next to it. After dropping off their gear, they headed back downstairs to join Sesshoumaru and Rin in the family room.

A giant coniferous tree stood in the corner, bedecked with decorations, lights and tinsel, sheltering the multitudes of wrapped presents that lay beneath it. Classic Christmas carols were playing softly in the background and a fire crackled in the authentic fireplace.

"Wow," Kagome uttered. "So this is what real Christmas is like."

Inuyasha snorted. "What would any of us know about real Christmas? We're just pretending everything's normal and happy."

"Isn't Christmas what you make it?" Souta piped up. "Isn't it about having a good time with the ones you love?"

Sesshoumaru looked up from the book he was reading with Rin with a bemused expression. "I believe you have been, as they say, schooled, Inuyasha."

Inuyasha glared at his older brother before scoffing. "You and your insights..." he muttered to Souta, who merely laughed in return.

Kagome layed a hand on Inuyasha's arm. "Souta's right. Let's just have as much fun as we can! Starting with these!" she squealed, examining a stack of classic Christmas movies.

Rin was soon drawn away from Sesshoumaru's book and began inspecting the movie collection along with the others. After much debate, they decided on How the Grinch Stole Christmas and settled down to watch it on the large flat screen television.

The members of the room were left with varying opinions once the movie had ended. Kagome, Souta and Rin thoroughly enjoyed the movie, Inuyasha pretended not to like it but secretly did, and Sesshoumaru kept silent, wondering what was so unearthly terrible about being a Grinch.

Souta eventually challenged the rest to a snowball fight and everyone save Sesshoumaru bundled up and headed outside. The expansive backyard was filled with snow from the first snowfall and they quickly jumped into action. Souta and Inuyasha intently constructed forts on opposite sides of the yard while the girls busied themselves with a snowman they called Barry.

Once the forts were ready and snow angels littered the ground, they all gathered ammunition and readied themselves; Souta and Kagome against Inuyasha and Rin. A fierce battle ensued, resulting in heroics, bravery, betrayal, promises of revenge and endless tears of laughter.

When they were all lying on their backs, worn out and panting, Sesshoumaru came outside to assess the damage. Inuyasha mustered his strength and chucked the last of his snowballs at his brother's head, but Sesshoumaru deftly caught it and crumbled it in his fist. Raising a delicate eyebrow at his chagrined younger brother, Sesshoumaru said, "Now if you've all had quite enough, there is some hot chocolate waiting inside. Rin, come along."

"Yes, Uncle Sesshoumaru!" the girl chirped happily, bounding to her feet and skipping after the older man into the house.

"Hot chocolate does sound good right about now," Souta admitted, sitting up.

"Gosh, if we use up all this fun today, there won't be anything left for tomorrow!" Kagome laughed.

"Ah, that's where you're wrong," Inuyasha informed her. "Tomorrow will be spent being thoroughly distracted by our new presents. And turkey dinner." He paused, then added, "He _better_be planning on cooking a turkey dinner."

"I'm sure he is," Kagome said in a placating manner. "Now let's go get that hot chocolate!"

The rest of the evening passed happily. After their hot chocolate, they ate dinner and settled in for two more Christmas movies before heading to bed.

"Sweet dreams, everyone!" Rin called happily before Sesshoumaru ushered her into her room for the night.

Inuyasha, Souta and Kagome shared a look. "God, if only," Kagome said, rolling her eyes. The other two smirked at her dark humour before retreating to their respective rooms.

Surprisingly, no nightmares plagued Kagome that night and she awoke relatively rested and ready to experience Christmas at the Reijiro household. Rifling through her suitcase, she took out a few wrapped presents she'd picked up for the others. Hugging them to her breast, she left her room and tiptoed down the stairs so she could place them with the rest of the presents under the tree.

Sesshoumaru was already awake and fixing himself some coffee in the kitchen. Kagome deposited her presents and came to join him.

"Good morning!"

He nodded as greeting. "Coffee?" he offered.

Kagome grimaced. "Mm, pass. It still tastes gross to me."

"Orange juice then," he said, indicating the jug on the counter.

"Yeah, I could go for that," Kagome smiled, pouring herself a glass. "I'm surprised Rin's not awake yet. I always woke up really early when I was little, especially on Christmas."

Sesshoumaru gave a barely perceptible shrug. "She's an unusually late sleeper. She would likely miss school if I did not come in and wake her up most mornings."

"Huh." Kagome hesitated and then blurted out, "Listen, I hope this isn't too forward...but were you planning on cooking turkey dinner? Inuyasha seems to be kind of looking forward to it..."

Sesshoumaru raised an eyebrow. "Is there a reason I should adhere to that whelp's every whim?"

Kagome was taken aback. "I–well, no, I guess not. It's just..."

As she stammered, he nodded to something behind her. She turned around to see a thawed turkey on the counter, ready to be basted. A smile snaked itself across her face as she turned back to the older man, who was still trying to look indifferent.

"You know, you're sly," she said, taking a sip of her orange juice. Sesshoumaru didn't reply. "You know how to get him angry at you. You rile him up so he doesn't notice. But I'm so onto you."

"I have no idea to what you are referring," Sesshoumaru drawled.

Kagome laughed before downing the rest of her drink. Putting the glass down on the counter, she teased, "You're such a loving brother!"

Sesshoumaru narrowed his eyes at her. "I don't appreciate that insinuation."

Kagome giggled again, but was saved from responding by the entrance of two more of their group, Rin and Souta.

"Morning," Souta yawned.

"Ah, so you guys _did_ decide to get up," Kagome said, smiling at the pair.

"Where's Uncle Inu?" Rin asked sleepily.

"It seems my _pest_," Sesshoumaru emphasized this word with a pointed look to Kagome, "of a brother is still asleep. Who would like to volunteer to abruptly interrupt his slumber?"

Kagome smirked. "I'll go. You guys get set up in the family room." Leaning down to Rin, she said, "I think a lot of those presents have your name on them."

The little girl squealed, now fully awake, and scampered out to the other room. Kagome headed upstairs to confront her sleeping boyfriend. Lightly knocking at his door, she called, "Inuyasha?" She tried calling a few times, but got no response. Sighing, she steeled herself and entered the room.

Inuyasha was face down on his bed, his head impossibly buried in his pillow. His sheets were entangled around his legs and one of his arms was dangling over the side of the bed.

"Inuyasha..." she sang, walking up next to the bed. He still didn't move. A devious thought struck her. Leaning down, she blew lightly on one of his furry ears. It twitched frantically for a moment before settling again. She did this a few more times until his hand came up to guard his ear unconsciously.

At this, Kagome broke. She started laughing loudly and he soon roused enough to pry his face out of the pillow and glare at her. "What?" he demanded rudely.

"You're such a cute puppy," she cooed, scratching the base of his ear.

Inuyasha leaned into it for a moment before realizing what was happening and pulling back, intensifying his glare. "Dammit, wench. What do you want?"

"It's Christmas morning, Inuyasha. Time to come downstairs and open presents with the rest of us."

Inuyasha grumbled and looked at the clock which read 8:30. "I'm pretty sure Christmas doesn't start 'til noon."

"Oh shut up you, and get out of bed!" Kagome chided good-naturedly. "Everyone's already waiting for us."

Inuyasha rolled over and yawned loudly. "This is a crime."

"Even so. I'd like to tell you Merry Christmas, Inuyasha," she said, leaning forward and planting a kiss on his lips.

Immediately he turned as red as his pajamas and bolted upright in bed. "I'm awake now."

"Then let's go," Kagome said with a coy smile, getting up and heading out the door. Inuyasha hastily followed.

Downstairs, the kids were anxiously waiting beside the Christmas tree as Sesshoumaru lounged in a comfortable chair, coffee cup still firmly gripped in his hands.

"Can we start now, Uncle Sesshoumaru?" Rin asked eagerly. "Can we? Can we?"

"Yes, Rin," Sesshoumaru acknowledged. "Make sure everyone has a gift before you open one of yours, though."

Presents were distributed amongst the group and Kagome was surprised to see that Sesshoumaru had bought several gifts for her and her brother, despite not knowing them too well. There was also a gift from Rin, and a few from Inuyasha.

Once they'd demolished a good amount of the pile, unwrapping new toys, clothes, jewellery and video games, Sesshoumaru handed Inuyasha a paper thin present. "Here, brother."

Inuyasha gave him a quizzical look before turning to the present. "What's this?" he muttered. "A certificate disowning me?"

Sesshoumaru snorted in disdain and then paused. "Perhaps next Christmas..." he mused.

Inuyasha angrily tore open the package to find an envelope underneath. Opening this, a concert ticket fell into his lap. He gaped for a full minute before saying anything.

"Mimic? You got me a concert ticket for Mimic?" Inuyasha exclaimed in disbelief.

"Whoa, awesome!" Kagome said, scooting closer to get a good look at the ticket. "I love that band!"

"Me too," Inuyasha admitted, still in awe. "Well, at least I did. Before...my coma. Wow! You mean they're still around?" he asked Sesshoumaru as he looked up at him.

"Apparently," Sesshoumaru responded neutrally.

"Too cool! I can't wait to see what they're like now," Inuyasha said excitedly.

"Rin and I will of course be accompanying you," Sesshoumaru informed him. "Thankfully your favourite band wasn't some hardcore metal punk death thing so it is still appropriate for one of Rin's age."

Inuyasha rolled his eyes. "Of course you wouldn't let me go alone."

"What? Trust you to behave responsibly?" Sesshoumaru retorted. "Don't be absurd, brother. I'd have you on a leash at all times, if that were not considered illegal and a breach of rights. No, instead I have to constantly monitor your useless self myself to make sure you don't embarrass the family name."

Inuyasha's glee noticeably faded as he clutched the ticket tighter and growled. "There goes any chance you had of me thanking you, you giant prick."

"So weird..." Souta uttered beside Kagome, staring at Inuyasha's ticket.

"What's up, Souta?" she asked curiously.

Wordlessly, he passed her her own paper thin present. Ripping it open, Kagome discovered a second concert ticket to the same band. Looking up at Sesshoumaru, she exclaimed, "Wow, did you get me a ticket too?"

Sesshoumaru returned her expectant look blankly, telling her something was amiss.

"No...Kagome. That present is from me," Souta said quietly.

Kagome looked down confused. "Oh, but..." She looked over at Inuyasha's ticket. They were for the same date. "They're for the exact same concert... Did you guys coordinate or something?"

Sesshoumaru and Souta shared a baffled look. "No..." Souta said. "Like I said, it's weird... I guess it's just a lucky coincidence."

"Huh," Kagome said, looking back and forth between the two tickets. "What do you know..." Coming back to herself, she leaned over to give her brother a tight hug. "Thanks a ton. I love this band! I'm so glad I get to see them in concert. Did you get a ticket for yourself too?"

Souta rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. "Yeah... I thought we could go together. Now I guess we'll be able to go with these guys too."

"Yeah!" Kagome smiled brightly, looking over to the other three. "This'll be fun!"

"When is the concert?" Rin asked curiously.

"January twenty-ninth," Inuyasha answered after looking at his ticket. "Man, I can't believe we're going to see Mimic!"

The rest of the presents were promptly opened and marvelled over. Afterwards, they all headed to the kitchen for breakfast. It took many waffles and muffins to finally sate them, but eventually everyone had sufficiently stuffed their faces and were ready to wash up for the day.

Once Kagome had freshened up and finished blow-drying her hair, she made her way across the hall to Inuyasha's room. He too was dressed, and now lying on his back on the bed, gazing up at the Mimic ticket held in his hands. She shooed him over and layed down beside him.

"Pretty cool, huh?" she said.

"Yeah," Inuyasha replied in awe. "It was my favourite band. Man! Mimic. Geez, that sure brings back memories..."

The two were silent for a few moments before Kagome shot up into a sitting position. "That's it!" she exclaimed. "That could work!"

Inuyasha gave her a confused look as he sat up as well. "What're you talking about?"

"Your memories, Inuyasha! Your memories! This could be the key to getting them back!" she said excitedly.

"The concert?"

"No, not the concert! Well, the band might though..."

Inuyasha was still lost.

"Think about it. The band is something that reminds you of the time before your coma, right? It's something familiar about that time. What if we could surround you with familiar things from that time? Don't you think it might help bring more memories to the surface? And then maybe we could _trick_ your brain into remembering those memories that you've repressed from that awful night," Kagome explained.

Inuyasha blinked. "Wow. That...might work. I guess I'll have to come up with a list of everything I remember right before the coma."

"Yeah! Like the foods you were eating regularly, the movies you saw, all the music you listened to, the games you played, even what the house smelled like... Speaking of the house, this isn't it, right?" Kagome asked.

Inuyasha shook his head. "When I woke up from my coma, Sesshoumaru had already bought this house for himself. He probably didn't want to stay in the house where..._that_ happened."

"Understandable. I sure wouldn't either. How terrible," Kagome shuddered.

"Yeah," Inuyasha said sadly. "I've never been back there since."

"Really? Gosh, if only we _could_ go back there," Kagome mused. "Not that it would be a particularly happy experience, but if you could be at the _scene of the crime_ itself... Just that could maybe bring something back to you!"

Inuyasha looked apprehensive at the idea. "Sesshoumaru bought this house, but he _did_ keep the old one." At Kagome's excited look, he continued, "But I dunno, Kagome. I don't know if I could face going back there..."

Kagome sobered up. "If you thought you could, I'd be with you every step of the way. I wouldn't let you do it alone, Inuyasha."

Inuyasha was quiet for a moment. "Do you really think it would help?"

Kagome took one of his hands in hers. "I can't guarantee anything, Inuyasha. I don't think there's any straight equation to figuring out the brain and how it works. But I think this has a good shot of doing _something_ to dislodge that memory. I mean, you haven't been back to the house _at all_ since you woke up. Don't you think it oughta have _some_ sort of effect?"

Inuyasha wavered. "And you'd stick with me?"

She squeezed his hand. "Of course. I wouldn't let you out of my sight."

He sighed and let his head drop onto her shoulder. "Okay, let's do it."

"Really? You're absolutely sure?"

"Yes, positive. I want to put this to rest once and for all. If this has any chance of helping me remember, and you're going to be there the whole time, I want to give it a shot. And as soon as possible, to get it out of the way," he said, determined.

"This winter break?" Kagome asked.

"Tomorrow," Inuyasha pressed, "while you're still visiting with us."

Kagome blinked at his sudden enthusiasm. Or perhaps it was just the desire to get it over and done with, like ripping off a bandaid. But once the bandaid was off, they still had to deal with the gaping wound underneath. "Okay, I'm game. Oh, but Miroku and Sango are coming to visit tomorrow."

Inuyasha shrugged. "They can come too."

Before they could exchange another word, a commotion from the floor below interrupted them. There was a knock at the door and Rin could be heard bounding towards it, chattering to Sesshoumaru excitedly.

"I guess we better go see who it is," Inuyasha said reluctantly. Kagome smiled at him as she hopped off the bed, allowing him to do the same. Together they made their way down the stairs.

"Kagura!" Rin's voice wafted to them before they reached the landing.

"Hey, Rin! How's my favourite munchkin?"

"Good! Christmas with Uncle Sesshoumaru is fun! I got a new Barbie, and new shoes and a new backpack!"

"How exciting!" Looking up, Kagura spotted Inuyasha and Kagome coming towards her. "Hi guys, how are you doing?"

"Great," Kagome responded, smiling. "It's nice to see you again, Kagura."

"Likewise," the older woman replied warmly.

"Merry Christmas," Inuyasha greeted.

"Merry Christmas to you too," she said, letting Sesshoumaru slip her coat off her shoulders. "I brought you all some gifts."

"That wasn't necessary," Sesshoumaru lightly chided.

Kagura smiled. "Nonsense. It was my pleasure."

They moved into the family room where they could visit more easily. Souta was already there and he and Kagura were introduced before everyone settled.

"Has your Christmas been good so far?" Kagura asked.

"It's been really good!" Rin gushed. "Right?"

The others all nodded their assent. "I'm so glad to hear it. Here, these are your presents," Kagura said, pulling out several wrapped packages from her bag.

Kagome and Souta looked at her in wonder when she handed presents to them as well. "Sesshoumaru told me you two would be coming to visit over the holidays. I thought I'd pick something up for you as well," Kagura explained.

"You really shouldn't have!" Kagome said, taking the gift from her in awe. She opened her package to reveal a silver necklace with a lavender coloured pendant in the shape of a tear drop. "Wow, it's beautiful!" she exclaimed.

Souta's present turned out to be a sharp looking tie. "Because every man should be able to look smart, no matter the age," Kagura told him with a wink.

Rin's present was a jigsaw puzzle, and Inuyasha received the latest album from Mimic. "So you can prepare for their concert next month!" she said to him, smiling.

"Wow, thanks, Kagura. This is awesome!" Inuyasha said graciously. "And of course you would already know about the tickets."

"I am your brother's secretary, assistant and overall life manager, after all," Kagura joked, looking over at Sesshoumaru.

The corner of Sesshoumaru's lips lifted slightly as he gazed back at her. Turning to Rin who was sitting on his lap, he said, "Rin, please go get Kagura's gift for me."

"Okay!" Rin chirped, hopping down and dashing to his study.

Kagura watched her go with a smile. "Here's your gift in the meantime."

Sesshoumaru accepted the small package she offered him and slowly unwrapped it. Inside lay an ornate silver pocket watch and matching chain. There appeared to be an inscription on the back and as Sesshoumaru read over it, his eyes seemed to soften.

Kagome looked on curiously, but any emotion she may have seen on his face vanished as he looked up. He thanked Kagura profusely but mechanically and she responded in kind.

Rin soon returned with Kagura's gift and handed it to her eagerly. She opened it to find a jewelled hairpin complete with two white feathers. Kagome observed her reaction closely and was surprised to see a sad, almost pained expression cross her face for a moment, before disappearing as quickly as it had come.

These two were just plain confusing her. She had no idea what to make of their relationship.

"It's beautiful," Kagura said quietly. She inserted it into her up-do and fashioned it for the others in the room. "How do I look?"

"Really pretty!" Rin enthused.

"Gorgeous. Wouldn't you agree, Sesshoumaru?" Kagome asked, watching him closely.

"The bauble does you no true justice," he remarked neutrally.

"You're too kind," Kagura replied, just as carefully.

When Kagome squinted and looked really closely, she thought she could detect a slight red hue dusting Kagura's cheeks. But she blinked and whatever she thought she saw was gone. Sighing, she decided to give up trying to figure them out. One impossible-to-crack egg was hard enough to deal with, she didn't feel like trying her hand at two.

After everyone had spent sufficient time marvelling over their newest gifts, Inuyasha decided to speak up. "Hey Sesshoumaru... Do you think we could go out to the old house tomorrow?"

Sesshoumaru and Kagura looked up at him sharply.

"To your parents' house?" Kagura asked uneasily.

"Why do you want to go there?" Sesshoumaru demanded.

Inuyasha shifted uncomfortably. "Kagome and I thought...it might help...with you know...my memories..."

Sesshoumaru was silent a long time before speaking. "I don't know if that is a good idea, brother."

Inuyasha bristled. "Why not? Aren't you always on my case for not being able to remember anything? This could be our chance for something to click! I sure as hell don't _want_ to go, but it could be our best chance to, you know...learn what happened to our parents."

Sesshoumaru remained impassive. "I need to be here to look after Rin. I will not bring her to that place."

"Then we'll go without you," Inuyasha retorted stubbornly. "We'll take the limo."

"I gave the chauffeur time off for the holidays," Sesshoumaru said.

Inuyasha sighed. "Fine. Miroku can probably give us a ride."

"Actually, I think he and Sango were planning on coming on his motorcycle," Kagome interjected. "Sango seemed pretty excited about it..."

"Seriously? Geez!" He turned back to his brother. "You can't even give us a ride out there? You don't have to come in or anything."

"I can take you," Kagura spoke up. She ignored Sesshoumaru's warning look. "I'll drive you all out there tomorrow in my car."

"Really, Kagura? You'd do that?" Inuyasha asked her eagerly.

Kagura looked hesitant and apprehensive, but she nodded. "I don't like it much more than your brother, Inuyasha, but I sense there's no stopping you. If you're really determined, I'll help you. It may be hard, but you deserve to know what happened..."

Inuyasha met her gaze and nodded grimly.

"There's probably not enough room in the car for me," Souta piped up. "I'll be happy to stay behind and play with Rin."

Kagome smiled at her brother and ruffled his hair affectionately. "Thanks, Souta. We won't be too long tomorrow, I promise."

An air of displeasure seemed to surround Sesshoumaru but his facial expression gave nothing away. "Very well," he finally conceded. "Do as you wish. And now, Kagura and I have some business matters to attend to. Despite it being a holiday, my company still needs some of my attention. Please excuse us."

He and Kagura arose and exited the room, already turning their conversation to stocks and budgets.

The remainder of Christmas Day passed swiftly. Kagura took her leave in the late afternoon and the others sat down for a delicious turkey roast. Inuyasha was more than pleased but no matter how hard Kagome scrutinized him, Sesshoumaru's poker face remained intact.

The evening was spent cleaning up the dishes and kitchen, and then settling in for one of Rin's new movies. Everyone was yawning by the end and decided to pack it in for the night.

..:V:..

"Sango! Miroku! Merry Christmas!" Kagome called as the pair drove up the driveway on Miroku's motorcycle.

"Merry Christmas, Kagome," Miroku said with a grin as he took off his helmet.

"Merry Christmas," Sango echoed, looking exhilarated from the ride.

"Hey guys," Inuyasha greeted, coming up behind Kagome.

"What's up, Inuyasha?" Miroku said, pulling the other boy into a half hug.

"Not much," he acknowledged, then hesitated. "Well, other than a slight change of plans, that is."

"What do you mean?" Sango asked.

"We're planning on going out to Inuyasha's old house today," Kagome explained. "To see if it won't stir up any of his suppressed memories."

Miroku blinked. "Oh. Wow. That _is_ a change of plans."

"Sorry to make the holiday a lot less fun," Inuyasha apologized.

Sango waved him off. "No way, don't worry about it. I think I can speak for both of us when I say we're honoured you'd like to include us in this. If there's anything we can do to be of help, we're more than happy to do it." Miroku nodded his agreement.

Inuyasha broke into a smile. "Thanks, guys. Kagura will come pick us up in an hour or so. Let's go inside 'til then."

More Christmas presents were exchanged between the group, and all too soon Kagura came knocking at the door once more. They all piled in her car and were soon on their way to Inuyasha's childhood home.

After a fifteen minute drive, they pulled into the driveway of what seemed like a mansion. Kagome, Sango and Miroku gaped at the sheer size of the house before them, which clearly spoke of the wealth of the owner, and then some.

"Holy crap!" Miroku exclaimed. "And I thought _my_ parents were rich."

"Ditto," Sango remarked.

"Speaking from a low to middle class perspective, this house is massive!" Kagome said in awe.

Inuyasha, however, remained silent and looked up at the house with something akin to dread in his expression. He gulped nervously and reached for Kagome's hand beside him. As soon as she felt the touch of his hand on hers, she turned her attention from the house back to him entirely. She rubbed his arm gently and gave him an encouraging smile. Shakily, he smiled back.

"So here we are," Kagura said as she turned off the car, looking tense.

Everyone waited to see what action Inuyasha would take, no one wanting to make the first move. Slowly, he opened the car door beside him and slid out.

The group had sunk into such silence that every step Inuyasha made towards the manor was clearly audible, from his first few confident ones to his progressively more hesitant ones. Gradually, the others disembarked from the car and came to stand behind him, looking up at the scene of such a great tragedy.

Kagome came to grasp his hand once again, and gave it a light squeeze. Together they began walking once more, until they were on the front landing. A wave of uneasiness overtook Kagome as she stood there, and Inuyasha was suddenly compelled to support her instead of the other way around.

"Kagome? You alright?" he asked anxiously.

She looked down at the cement beneath her feet. Recalling the article she had once read about the incident, she deduced what was causing the roiling in her stomach. "This is it, isn't it? This is where it happened?" She glanced to her right, where shrubberies lined the front of the house. "That's where you were found..."

Inuyasha gulped as realization struck him. An aching in his back where the bullet had pierced him five years prior was slowly becoming apparent to him and as his eyes lost focus, he thought he could hear the faint sound of a woman screaming...

The footsteps of the others coming up the path brought him back to himself. With a shudder, he turned his attention to the front door. He pulled out the key Sesshoumaru had given him that morning and unlocked the door.

Cautiously, he and Kagome stepped inside. "Whoa," Inuyasha breathed.

"What is it?" Kagome asked.

"It's...exactly as I remember it. It's all exactly the same. Sesshoumaru didn't change a thing."

"Wow," Kagome replied. "After five and a half years, that _is_ amazing."

She looked around and was immediately struck by the family photos lining the walls. She had never seen a picture of Inuyasha's parents before, but they were both beautiful people. Inuyasha and Sesshoumaru had clearly inherited their long white manes from their father, along with their golden eyes. But Inuyasha's soft facial features were obviously passed down by his breathtakingly gorgeous mother. Kagome gazed sadly at a family photo where the four family members were gathered together, smiling warmly at the camera.

It struck Kagome that Inuyasha's mother and Sesshoumaru looked nothing alike. The elder brother's sharp, aristocratic features were clearly distinct from both parents.

"Sesshoumaru's your half brother, isn't he?" she remarked, remembering back to when Inuyasha first told her about him. "What happened to his mother? If that's not too personal a question for me to ask."

Inuyasha shook his head. "She died in a car accident when Sesshoumaru was five. Both her and her sister were in the car, and both died, along with the other driver. My dad married my mom three years later, and my mom got pregnant with me almost right away. Sesshoumaru's nine years older than me."

"Geez..." Kagome said softly. "That's so sad. And now Sesshoumaru's lost three parents..."

Inuyasha lightly brushed his fingers across the smiling faces of his parents before pounding his fist on the wall beside the picture frame. "I still can't believe they're gone," he admitted, his voice breaking.

Kagome brought up her hand to rub his back as the others hung back, silent.

"I swear, the last time I saw them was while saying good-night the day before..._this_ happened. And then I wake up and they're _dead_? Why the hell did they have to be taken away? Why?"

"I know, Inuyasha, I know. It's just not fair," Kagome sympathised, recalling all of her loved ones who had so cruelly been taken away. "It never is."

Inuyasha sighed and tried to collect himself, turning away from the family photo. Just beyond the front entrance was a winding staircase to the upper floor and a hallway stretching further into the house. Inuyasha glanced down the hallway, feeling a shiver run up his spine. Looking at the staircase instead, he made his decision. "I want to go visit my old room."

"I'll come with you," Kagome said.

"We'll look around a bit more, if that's alright," Miroku said. Inuyasha nodded and he and Kagome made their way up the stairs.

Inuyasha's room, according to the boy himself, was exactly as he remembered it, save for the dirty clothes he distinctly recalled dropping on the floor before going to bed. A giant poster of Mimic hung over his bed, and smaller posters of various other bands were strewn across his walls. A bookshelf filled with books ranging from fantasy to science fiction sat against one wall, next to a wooden desk where he presumably worked on his homework. A dresser stood against another wall, stuffed with clothes that would no longer fit him. A chest sat next to it, brimming with toys such as action figures and Lego. His closet door was opened and showed more clothes and toys shoved in in a haphazard manner. His bedside table held a lamp and a stack of baseball cards, along with multiple CDs.

Inuyasha froze upon entering and simply gazed around for a few minutes. Slowly, he made his way into the room, his fingertips grazing over the various pieces of furniture as memories flooded back.

"These were my favourite toys," he said, looking down at the chest. "Mom let me keep them up here in my room. The rest stayed down in the basement, where I'd play for hours..." He moved on to the bedside table. "My favourite baseball team... I was trying to collect the cards of all its players... My music, these were the bands I was into right before..." he trailed off. He looked to his bed, where a few stuffed animals sat. "Haha...I remember thinking I was getting too old for stuffed animals. And I wanted to get rid of them...but I couldn't let go of them." He sat down on the bed, grabbing a stuffed bear and hugging it to his chest. "I had this one since I was four... My mom gave it to me for my birthday."

An aching feeling filled Kagome's chest as she looked down at him cradling the bear. After a moment, she had to look away and scanned the room for something to distract herself with. Her eyes lit upon the desk, where a few sheets of paper lay amongst the pens and pencils. Striding over, she picked up the top sheet to read in Inuyasha's handwriting: _The Outsiders_.

"That was the book report I was working on..." Inuyasha said from his spot on the bed. He made a face. "I hated that book."

Kagome smiled sadly and replaced the paper on the desk. As she put it down, a picture frame on the edge of the desk caught her eye. A younger looking Inuyasha with distinctly shorter hair occupied half of it, his arm thrown over another boy's shoulders. They were both making faces at the camera, trying hard not to laugh.

"Who's this boy?" she asked Inuyasha.

He came over and looked down at the picture."That was my best friend, Jinenji. He was also a half-demon so we got along really well. I didn't have a lot of friends, but he and I always hung out and had fun..."

"What happened to him?"

"Sesshoumaru said his family moved away a couple years ago. Apparently Jinenji didn't handle what happened to me very well. His family wanted to move away and have a fresh start. Once I woke up, I asked about him, but Sesshoumaru didn't know where the family had moved to. I guess Jinenji doesn't even know I'm awake..." He took the picture frame from her, reminiscing.

Kagome next made her way over to a calendar hanging by his dresser. The theme was various breeds of dogs and the month selected was May. She saw that he had crossed out every day that had passed, up to the 14th – the day the tragedy occurred.

The room was beginning to creep her out, seemingly locked in that single moment in time. That perfect moment just before Inuyasha's life was changed forever. It was almost as if she had a window into Inuyasha's past, but could do nothing to warn him of the tragedy that was about to befall him.

The feelings sweeping over her were painful, but they also gave her an idea. "Inuyasha... I think we should try to take a lot of this stuff with us."

He looked up, the picture in his hand having been replaced by a Game Boy Colour. "What do you have in mind?"

"Well...remember how we were talking about how a familiar environment might trigger some memories? I think you should try to immerse yourself as much as possible in all the things you had right before...May 14th. Like, start listening to those CDs by your bed, look through your baseball cards, watch your favourite movies from then, reread _The Outsiders_ – even if you hated it. What else...? Watch the TV shows you liked to watch, use the same toothpaste, keep that teddy bear with you, think back on your times with Jinenji... Anything and everything you can think of that you might associate with that time in your life. If you can recreate it closely enough, maybe your memories will come with it," Kagome suggested.

Inuyasha thought for a moment, wondering if he was strong enough. This wasn't his life anymore, Sesshoumaru was constantly telling him he had to let go and move on... But what if this was the only way to figure out what happened to his parents? But on the other hand...if it didn't work...would he be able to pull himself back or would he constantly be stuck in this time, yearning for what he could never have again?

He steeled himself. "Okay, let's do it." He looked around. "I'm sure my old backpack's around here somewhere, we can put the stuff in that..."

Together they soon located his grey and red backpack and began packing it full of various memorabilia. When it was full, Inuyasha took one last look around his room before they turned and exited.

Back downstairs, Inuyasha and Kagome faced the hallway once more. They could hear the voices of the others far off in the mansion, but Inuyasha seemed incapable of taking another step.

"I really, _really_ don't get a good feeling from this hallway," he admitted.

"I guess...in a weird way...that's a good thing?" Kagome said uncertainly. "I guess it means we're on the right track..."

"Yeah, I guess," Inuyasha replied without any real conviction.

Slowly, one step at a time, he began to make his way forward. He never remembered the hallway being so long, but it seemed to stretch out forever. Cautiously he made his way down it, pausing at the entrance of every new room, surveilling their contents before moving on. Other than the intense feeling of dread, however, no clear memories were coming to him.

The hallway ended by branching into two separate rooms. On the right lay a room with a wall of windows overlooking a massive frozen pool outside. Inuyasha stepped inside, taking in the couches and cold, empty fireplace.

Kagome, however, looked into the room on the left. It looked like a massive study, complete with mahogany desk and high-back leather chair. Rows of bookshelves lined the walls, though there were several gaps where books had been taken out. A giant, rotatable globe stood in the corner, next to a mini bar.

Curious, she took a step inside.

And was immediately hit with a wave of nausea that sent her to the floor.

After gasping for a few moments while clawing at the carpet, she began to breathe slowly and deeply, feeling the nausea abate somewhat. Shakily rising back to her feet, she took a few more steps forward, focusing more intently on her surroundings.

An outdated computer sat upon the desk, along with several pictures in frames facing away from her. Another table sat in the right corner behind the desk, holding a few ornaments, along with an open wooden box.

Her strength gave out as soon as she reached the desk. Leaning on the structure for support, she felt a pounding headache overtake her.

"Inuyasha!" she called hoarsely.

He came into the room promptly. "What is it–? Holy crap, Kagome, you're pale!"

He rushed up to her and wrapped an arm around her waist. She thankfully pulled her weight away from the desk and leaned into him instead. She focused on her breathing as she did before, hoping it would help. When she didn't feel any better, she cast about her to try and figure out what was causing her sudden illness.

The memory of the front porch came to her. She thought back to the article once more. Finally, she gasped in realization.

"Here..." she rasped. "Here...this is where your father was killed."

As soon as she uttered the words, as soon as she made the connection, the sickness subsided. Intense relief swept over her and she sagged against Inuyasha, her legs no longer willing to support her.

Inuyasha compensated for the rest of her weight easily, before looking around. "Here...?" he swallowed thickly.

"The article I read said your father was shot inside the house, and you and your mother were found outside. This has got to be where your father died. I got the same sickening feeling at the front door, except it was much worse in here. Your father was murdered in this room. I'd bet my life on it," Kagome said firmly.

Once he was sure Kagome could support her own weight, Inuyasha stepped away to more closely inspect the room. "This was Dad's study... He took care of all his business matters in here. I wasn't usually allowed inside. He wasn't to be disturbed while he was working."

He went over to read the spines of some of the books. Most had to do with recent leaps in technology or business management, along with a few leadership and workplace psychology manuals. "Sesshoumaru must have already taken away the useful ones," he remarked.

"So you found your way here," Kagura's sad voice came from behind them.

The two teenagers turned to see her in the doorway. Kagome regarded her expression carefully, then asked, "This _is_ where Inuyasha's father was killed, isn't it?"

Kagura looked torn for a moment before nodding. "This is it. Awful, isn't it?" She shuddered reflexively.

"But how...?" Inuyasha demanded. "What the hell happened?"

Kagura shook her head. "The police seemed to have hit a dead end. I don't know how their investigation went, though."

As the two of them talked, Kagome's eyes roved over the room once more. Her gaze stopped upon the open wooden box she'd seen before and her curiosity got the better of her. Walking around the desk, she made her way to the table and checked to see what was inside.

Her blood ran cold.

"Guys," she called softly to the others. "Check this out."

Inuyasha and Kagura came up behind her and looked over her shoulder.

"That's..." Inuyasha trailed off.

The box was empty, but the padding inside left nothing to the imagination as to what had once occupied the space. Two perfectly sculpted indentations showed that at one time, two pistols had been the residents of the box.

"Where are the guns?" Inuyasha said frantically. "Those were my dad's prized possessions. Really valuable antiques. They were worth a huge amount of money! They couldn't have been..."

Kagura picked up on his unfinished thought. "They disappeared after the shootings, I heard. There was a rumour that the police suspected the killer used Inutaisho's own guns against him and his family..."

Inuyasha was filled with horror. "No way..."

"The two guns didn't happen to be..." Kagome started.

"One was specially made to hold spiritual bullets and its twin was made for regular bullets," Inuyasha answered. "It was based somewhat on a sort of yin and yang concept – the opposite forces of demons and humans and whatnot."

"It must have been these guns, then," Kagome deduced. "You and your father were shot with the spiritual gun...and your mother with the regular one. And then the killer must have taken them with him!"

Inuyasha felt sick to his stomach. "I think I've had enough for today," he admitted. "This is more than what I want to deal with right now."

Kagura nodded and took him by the shoulders, leading him out of the study. "I agree. I thought this might have been too much, too fast. Let's go find your friends and head back to your brother's house."

Inuyasha nodded and the two of them left the room together. Kagome lingered for a few moments, trying to absorb what they had discovered that day. She was standing in the very room Inuyasha's father had been shot and killed, with his own pistols no less. Who could have done such a thing, and why?

She felt they were just beginning to delve into the mysteries surrounding Inuyasha's coma and his parents' murders. What new horrors would they discover?

* * *

A/N Hope to hear your thoughts on this chapter! 'Til next time!


	15. Collecting the Pieces

Disclaimer: Of course I own Inuyasha. Because I'm Rumiko Takahashi, coming onto fanfiction(dot)net to write alternate universe fanfics in English to somehow relive the glory days of writing Inuyasha the manga. I'm just cool like that.

A/N Howdy everybody! All three of you! Here's another chapter, hot off the press! See, you didn't believe me when I said I'd get this one out more quickly. But here it is, and 19 pages to boot! Enjoy!

* * *

Inuyasha tossed and turned, twisting in his sheets as images plagued his unconscious mind. A hallway stretched out before him, one whose end was out of sight. He vaguely recognized the corridor from his old house, but he couldn't seem to remember what was at the end of it. His brow furrowed in his sleep as stared down the hallway in his dream. A growing sense of dread filled him the longer he stayed rooted to the spot.

Eventually feelings of fear and panic overwhelmed him and he knew he could no longer stand still. He had to move, he had to get to the end of that corridor. He went to take a step forward...and the dream went hazy. His vision blurred and suddenly he was opening his eyes to his darkened dorm room.

..:V:..

"I had that dream again," Inuyasha told Kagome the next morning as they ate breakfast together.

Ever since visiting his old house, Inuyasha had been hounded by a recurring nightmare. He didn't understand it, but he knew in his gut it was important. When he was awake, he could fully remember the hallway from his dream as the main one that ran from the front door to the back of the house. But whenever he was asleep, it was the greatest mystery in the world. He knew there had to be more to it, and it might have to do with his lost memories. But for the life of him, he had no idea what his subconscious was trying to tell him.

"Still the same hallway?" Kagome asked, ignoring her toast in favour of questioning him.

Inuyasha nodded. "And I still can't go down it. Every time I take a step, I wake up."

"I wouldn't rush it," Kagome advised. "It's only been a week and a half since we visited your house. Already you've made more progress remembering than in the past ten months combined! I guess surrounding yourself in memories is really working."

Inuyasha held up _The Outsiders_ that had a bookmark sticking out of it about halfway through. He made a face, "No matter how much I hate it."

"Morning, my wondrous companions! How fare ye on this fine day?" Miroku's voice broke into their conversation, effectively ending it. They turned to see him approaching their cafeteria table.

"Apparently he's a morning person," Sango grumbled as she appeared from behind him, shrugging apologetically.

"As should we all be, when such glory as the beautiful dewy morning is–oh ew, The Outsiders," he was brought up short, wrinkling his nose.

"Tell me about it," Inuyasha said in disgust, throwing the book down on the table.

"It's got nothing on the horror that is Where the Red Fern Grows," Sango said, setting down her tray and sitting across from Kagome. "I'll never recover from the trauma of that book."

"Oh middle school reading materials, what would we ever do without your dose of depression and tragedy?" Miroku sighed ironically.

"Be better off, most likely," Sango responded, biting into her bagel. "So what's new with you guys? Do anything for New Years?"

Kagome shrugged. "I read a bunch of a textbook."

"Thrilling," Sango remarked.

"I made an elastic ball!" Inuyasha proclaimed rather proudly, producing the object from his pocket.

"And we're all terribly jealous, I'm sure," Miroku said wryly.

The four chattered away for the next ten minutes, exchanging more stories of their vacation time and dreading the ring of the bell to indicate it was class time once more.

Eventually they had to face the music and get on with the school day. Later in their Physics class, Kagome turned to Inuyasha once more. "Did you bring all those things from your house back to your dorm room?"

"Yeah," he responded. "The picture of me and Jinenji is on my bedside table–"

"Jinenji and I," Kagome corrected mildly.

Inuyasha made a face and continued, "and I've been playing my Game Boy Colour and listening to my old CDs... You know, other than Mimic, I had surprisingly bad taste in music."

"It happens to the best twelve year olds," Kagome assured him. "I think it's something that can only be corrected with age."

"Clearly. Well, my movie collection wasn't too bad, though. Also, I remember that The Mummy was the last movie I saw in theatres before the coma. Maybe we should rent it or something?" Inuyasha suggested.

"Ooh, sounds like a plan!" Kagome said eagerly. "Good thinking, Inuyasha! Any other ideas?"

Inuyasha fiddled with a few sheets of paper on his desk. "Well...I don't know if I really _like_ this idea...but what if...what if we found out a little more about 'The Night'?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well...like, there's been a ton of investigation and such, right? But all we know is what you read in that article when it happened, and the little that Sesshoumaru told me when I woke up. But I don't think he told me everything," Inuyasha explained.

"He was probably trying to protect you," Kagome mused. "That's a lot of terrible information to take in at once."

"And I never wanted to know more about it so I didn't press him for the whole story," Inuyasha finished.

"If he even knows it," Kagome pointed out. "Police usually keep things pretty close to their chest."

"True," Inuyasha admitted.

After a moment of silence, Kagome had an idea. "What if...what if we went to the police station? Maybe we can ask to see the investigation file. It _does_ directly involve you, after all."

"You really think they'd let us see?" Inuyasha asked.

"It's worth a shot. What do we have to lose?"

"I guess nothing. When do you want to go?"

"This weekend would probably work," Kagome replied. "Oh, and Inuyasha?"

"Yeah?"

"I'm sticking close to you Monday night, and we're staying locked in the school. It's a new moon."

Inuyasha gulped. "Right..."

..:V:..

"Here we go," Kagome said, letting out a long breath as they stood gazing up at the imposing police station.

"Let's do it," Inuyasha said determinedly, starting forward.

Kagome rushed to keep up with his quick step as they entered the building. After a short talk with a desk clerk, they were directed to the fifth level, the homicide division. A couple more queries pointed them in the direction of a corner office with the name Captain Aoyama on the door.

After knocking, they were quickly admitted and then appraised by a portly middle-aged man sitting behind a large desk. He studied them for a moment before declaring, "Inuyasha Reijiro," with a satisfied nod.

Inuyasha stepped forward. "Yes, that's me. And this is Kagome Higurashi."

"Well, have a seat, my boy. You too, miss," Captain Aoyama said, indicating the two chairs in front of his desk. Once they were settled, the captain continued, "What can I help you with?"

"Well...really... It's about my own case. The night my parents and I were shot..." Inuyasha said, swallowing thickly.

The captain nodded sadly. "Terrible affair, that was. Simply horrendous. But I don't have to tell you that."

"I was wondering if you could tell us about it. I can't remember anything about that night and I didn't have any desire to know before...but I'd like to know now. What can you tell me about it?"

The captain looked at him thoughtfully for a minute. "I can't tell you everything, I'm sorry to say. It's still an ongoing investigation and we can't let the whole file be open to the public just yet."

"But I'm the victim!" Inuyasha protested. "Don't I have a right to know?"

"Even so," the captain replied. "We have a strict policy on still active cases. I'll tell you what I can, though. My department was in charge of your case. We had the best detectives on it and we all worked around the clock for months. We interviewed countless people, but in the end, we were left with nothing solid."

"What were the facts?" Kagome asked. "What did the house look like when you found it?"

"It wasn't broken into, if that is what you're asking. Mr. Reijiro was found shot dead in the study, and Mrs. Reijiro and Inuyasha were found in the bushes outside the main entrance. Both were shot in the back. Nothing from the house was stolen, according to Sesshoumaru Reijiro."

"Except for the pistols," Kagome interjected.

"Hm?"

"The antique pistols Mr. Reijiro owned and kept in his study. We saw the empty box when we visited the house. Inuyasha said they were the same kind of guns as those used in the shooting," Kagome elaborated.

The captain pursed his lips together, clearly not too pleased this teenage girl he had never seen before was so intimate with the details of the case. "That's...true. The pistols were the one thing that was missing," he admitted reluctantly.

"And you think they must have been the murder weapons, and then taken away from the scene of the crime, right?" Kagome pressed the point home.

"That's unquestionably a theory," the police captain said evasively. "Obviously it can't be proven without the pistols in question. You cannot do a full ballistics analysis on a missing weapon."

"But why else would the pistols have been taken? Like you said, they were the only thing taken from the house. Undoubtably they're valuable, but there were many expensive things in the house – if the killer were looking to steal valuables, the pistols probably wouldn't be the first place they'd start. Therefore, he or she must have grabbed the guns in the moment, used them to kill, and then made off with them so he or she didn't leave any evidence behind..." Kagome mused as Inuyasha watched her in awe and Captain Aoyama shifted uncomfortably in his seat.

"That's gotta be it," Inuyasha said after a minute. "But then... I mean...it still doesn't make any sense."

"Why not?" Kagome asked.

"If the guy – or girl – was there not to steal anything, but just to kill us...why didn't they bring their own gun? Why'd they have to take Dad's?"

"Good point," said Kagome. "It's like...he or she didn't come to your house with the intention to steal or to kill... So how'd they end up slaughtering your family and getting away with it?"

They looked to the police captain. He held up his hands in defence. "Sorry, kids, I've just about reached the limit of what I can tell you."

"You haven't told us anything," Kagome retorted. "You haven't said anything that's different from what we've already learned from the media. Inuyasha's a direct victim here. He IS your case. Doesn't he have a right to know what you know?"

"Listen, little lady. I hate to be the one to say it, but victims are often more of a hindrance than a help. The more they know, the more they're likely to try and exact personal revenge, or perform their own investigation and muck up ours."

"It doesn't look like _your_ investigation is going too smoothly, with or without us," Kagome remarked snidely. "Other than the killer, Inuyasha is the only person alive with a memory of that night. Instead of trying to help him retrieve it, you're excluding him from the very information that could be the key to its recovery. This is ridiculous. Let's go, Inuyasha. This was a waste of time."

The captain looked mildly affronted, but wisely kept his silence and watched the two teenagers leave his office in a huff.

..:V:..

"I can't believe that guy!" Kagome continued to rant as she and Inuyasha walked up Sesshoumaru's driveway. "I get that it's an ongoing investigation, and I get that victims sometimes pound the crap out of any old suspect the police may happen to drag in, but come on! These are special circumstances. You're their best witness, for Pete's sake! You'd think they'd be telling you anything and everything to try to jog your memory. Best detectives on the case, my ass. I wonder if there was any talent on the case at all."

Inuyasha shrugged as he opened the door. "We knew it was a bit of a long shot going in. We knew the police might not be too...forthcoming."

"Yeah, but if the police won't even tell us what they know, how are we supposed to figure out what happened to you and your parents?" Kagome said in frustration.

"Police?"

Inuyasha and Kagome both looked up from taking off their shoes to see Sesshoumaru looking at them questioningly from the family room doorway.

"You went to see the police, brother?" he asked delicately.

Inuyasha glared at him for a moment, trying to gauge if he was looking for a fight. Finally he just shrugged. "Yeah, we thought they might tell us what they know about The Night. The more information we have, the more likely something in my memory will trigger. That's what we thought at least. But the police would hardly tell us anything. The captain guy pretty much just repeated what was in the newspapers. It was a waste of time."

Sesshoumaru raised an eyebrow. "Captain Aoyama, I presume?"

Inuyasha looked at him sharply. "Yeah, how'd you know that?"

"He's the head of the case. I...pressed him quite a bit at the time of the incident for information. He probably grew resentful towards any and all questions asked regarding the case. It could be why he was so close-lipped with you."

Inuyasha rolled his eyes. "Great. Another injustice I can blame you for. Will it never end?"

With a nasty look directed towards his brother, Inuyasha stomped out to the kitchen to get a snack. With an apologetic look at Sesshoumaru, Kagome quickly followed. They fixed themselves some peanut butter and jam sandwiches and sat down at the dining room table to eat.

"So what _do_ we know?" Inuyasha asked. "Someone came to the house that night. Whether they were invited or not, they didn't break in. So either the door was unlocked, or someone in my family let them in."

"It seems like they didn't intend on doing anything bad to begin with, because they didn't bring their own weapon," Kagome continued.

"Or maybe they were a professional thief or something and didn't think they needed a weapon. But then my dad surprised them and they panicked and reached for the weapons on hand," Inuyasha suggested.

"But again, no sign of entry," Kagome pointed out. "There should have been at least some evidence of a break-in if in fact there was one, no matter how good a thief they were. And besides, nothing was stolen in the end, other than the pistols."

"Well, it could have been something that Sesshoumaru didn't know our parents owned. I mean, he was the one that had to account for all the possessions in the house. He could have missed something he didn't realize was there in the first place."

"Good point. There could have been a theft no one knew about..." Kagome considered.

"But again, no breaking in," Inuyasha sighed. "Either way, it looks like the killer had to have been let in by one of us. I don't know a thief that would do that."

"So they were let in, made their way to the study with your father... Then something happened and the killer shot your dad. Presumably you and your mother witnessed it and they then came after you. Once that was all over...they just left," Kagome recited.

"So the question is...what happened to set them off in the first place? What happened in the study?" Inuyasha said thoughtfully. "How can someone come in as my family's friend and leave their murderer?"

The pair lapsed into silence as they thought the matter over. Everything seemed strange and illogical. They had more questions than answers and what they lacked most was information.

Both of them snapped out of their respective reveries when a stack of thick files thudded down on the table between them. Looking up, they saw Sesshoumaru towering over them.

"I think you'll find everything that you need in those," he said, nodding towards the pile.

Kagome gave him a confused look before reaching to take the file on the top. She noted the _Confidential_ title before opening it and scanning the contents. After a moment, her eyes widened and she looked up at the other two. "This...this is part of the official police report!"

Inuyasha straightened up in his chair. "What?"

"It is all there. Every miserable lead the detectives ever had on the case," Sesshoumaru intoned. "Every piece of evidence processed, every suspect looked into, every dead end they ever ran into."

Inuyasha and Kagome gaped at the material before them. "Where...how...? The hell...?"

Sesshoumaru's expression didn't change. "Was there an intelligible question in there somewhere?"

"Where in the heck did you get all the official police files?" Inuyasha exclaimed. "They couldn't have just given them to you of their own free will!"

"It says _Confidential_ on all of these!" Kagome added.

"Yes well... I have some contacts of my own," Sesshoumaru answered. "I needed to ensure everything was being done to find my parents' murderer."

Kagome looked doubtfully at the case files. "So this is probably illegal..."

"Did you or did you not want to know everything that the police knows?" Sesshoumaru pressed.

"Well...yes, of course," Kagome admitted.

"I have access to even more than that," Sesshoumaru replied, putting yet another file on the table. "This is everything the private detective I hired at the time found out. I wish I could say you will find it enlightening, but alas, everything in these files leads to nothing."

"Why...why are you helping us with this?" Inuyasha asked suspiciously.

"These files are just trash to everyone else who reads them," Sesshoumaru said. "They are very thorough, but they ultimately did not turn up a thing. In truth, _you_ are the only thing left about this case that could shed new light. You think you can uncover your memory by knowing as much as possible about the night in question. I can give you anything you need in order to do that. And I will. Because I want to catch the son of a bitch who slaughtered my family and got away without a lick of punishment."

With that, he strode from the room and left them stunned.

"Wow..."

"Yeah..."

"I guess we got what we wished for. Everything the police knows about the case," Inuyasha said.

"And then some," Kagome said, indicating the private detective's file.

"I guess we'd better get to work."

..:V:..

Two hours later had the pair making a good dent in the reading material.

"There weren't too many fingerprints in the study..." Inuyasha informed Kagome, perusing a file. "Just Mom's, Dad's and mine, and the cleaning lady's. Looks like she had been there recently to clean."

"It says here she came two days before the murders," Kagome responded, drawing the information from her own file. "She was 'shocked and horrified by the brutality against one of the most generous and genteel families she'd ever encountered. She hopes the bastard who did it rots in hell'."

Inuyasha nodded his approval. "From what I remember, she was always pretty cool."

"So unless Beatrice the cleaning lady gunned down your family, the perpetrator either wore gloves–"

"–Or didn't touch anything but the guns. So that doesn't really help any."

"There's hardly any forensic evidence at all," Kagome said, blowing out a frustrated breath. "No signs of a struggle... Looks like your dad was taken completely by surprise. There weren't any defensive wounds or indications that he fought with the perpetrator at all."

"And my mom and I were clearly running away. No opportunity to get a scrap of the guy there," Inuyasha remarked.

"No one really saw anything. The neighbours on the right side were gone on vacation and the neighbours on the left had music playing all night. Across the street one neighbour thought she heard a couple of bangs, but she had the TV on in the other room so she didn't think much of it at the time. One other neighbour left to walk his dog before the murders occurred and claims he saw a dark car parked on the street outside the Reijiro home. When he returned, it was after the time the murders had taken place and the car was gone. He said nothing seemed out of the ordinary and he wasn't even aware murder had taken place."

"Clearly no one was," Inuyasha muttered bitterly.

"Yeah... All of the other neighbours claimed they didn't hear anything that night. They were all shocked when the police showed up. The man who saw the car couldn't give any identification for it either. No licence plate, not even the make or actual colour. 'Dark' was the best description he could give. He wasn't really paying attention to it after all."

Inuyasha slammed a fist down on the table. "How did this bastard get so lucky? Not a shred of evidence and no witnesses! With no forethought whatsoever. It's not fair!"

Kagome rubbed her eyes tiredly. "I'm beginning to see why the police were so frustrated. It's not that they didn't chase leads down, it's that there were no leads to begin with. They couldn't even get out of the starting gate."

"And here I was, alive and a witness to the whole thing...completely knocked out in a coma. Five years later, I finally come to and they're all so hopeful I can solve the whole thing in the blink of an eye...and I can't remember a thing. The murderer catches yet another break," Inuyasha said.

"Some criminals have all the luck, I guess," Kagome responded ironically.

"When I find this guy, I am so going to make sure he suffers for every stroke of luck he encountered that night," Inuyasha said bitterly. "He's going to wish he never heard of the Reijiro name."

"Very nobly said," Kagome said with an arched brow. "Just don't go getting yourself killed. I think it would just be best if we figure out his identity and then let the police handle it."

"Yeah, 'cause they've done _such_ a good job so far."

"_Inuyasha_. I don't want you doing anything stupid. If you keep going down this line of thinking, you're likely to end up like in my visions. I have to see you die most nights in my dreams – I _don't_ need that happening in real life," Kagome said firmly.

Inuyasha reached out a hand to grasp hers. "Sorry, Kagome. I just–I can't stand to think of what this bastard did to my family and how he got away with it on a fluke. On a series of flukes, actually."

"He can't get away with it forever. We'll make sure his lucky streak comes to an end," Kagome assured him.

"The sooner, the better," Inuyasha responded despondently, looking down at the rest of the useless police report.

..:V:..

A gunshot echoed in his ears. The rustling of skirts followed.

"_INUTAISHO_!"

Blackness developed into vision. The hallway loomed before him. Panic overwhelmed him. He started running. He–

A soft knocking roused Inuyasha from his dream. He blinked blearily in the darkness of his dorm room. He distantly noted the sheets of his bed were bunched up around his legs as he focused on the source of the knocking.

When he saw a blurry Souta going for the door, he realized they had a visitor. He rubbed his eyes to chase away the sleep, but his vision didn't sharpen. He recalled it was the dreaded night of the new moon. He swore softly to himself.

Since Kagome had informed Souta about him being the boy in her visions, it was inevitable he also knew about his night of weakness. Inuyasha was slightly resentful that his secret was exposed so easily to the younger boy, but it was turning out for the best. It meant he no longer had to go hide in the recesses of the school for fear of discovery. And he didn't have to wear that blasted hat any longer. He could just hole up in his dorm room with his young roommate and not be bothered by anyone.

Except for Kagome of course. Because that was who was at the door. Apparently she wasn't content with his solemn promise that he would not stir outside that night and was taking steps to ensure he didn't step out of her sight.

He had known she was coming that night, but he had fallen asleep while he waited for her. Now her knocking at the door had roused him from another nightmare. He was beginning to see why she resented her own dreams so much. The emotional anxiety that accompanied each of these dreams lingered with him long after he awoke. He was pretty sure the voice in this most recent dream was his mother's. He shuddered.

"Inuyasha?"

He shook himself out of his reverie to look up at Kagome's concerned face. "Hey, Kagome."

Assuring herself that he was okay, she sat down determinedly beside him on the bed. She started digging through a bag she had brought with her. "Alright, I've got plenty of snacks, a few drinks, some books, a pack of cards and Monopoly."

Inuyasha yawned. "Are you seriously planning on us staying awake the whole night?"

She pouted. "Well, I'm definitely staying awake to keep an eye on you. I guess you can go to sleep if you want. I won't stop you."

Inuyasha could still feel his heartbeat racing in his chest. He dreaded the continuation of that dream. "I'll stay up," he decided hastily. He knew the dream was important, but he could catch up with it another night, he was sure.

Souta scratched his stomach and yawned. "Well, if you guys are staying up, I might as well too. We'll make it into a bit of a party."

"Excellent!" Kagome cheered. "Just...you know, try not to fall asleep in class tomorrow. And get plenty of sleep tomorrow night."

"Deal," Souta grinned.

They whiled away the night with games and conversation. Whenever they started to get tired, they would eat a few snacks or move around to keep themselves awake. As morning neared, Souta drifted off to sleep and Kagome and Inuyasha kept their conversation to hushed tones. They sat on the floor with their backs against Inuyasha's bed.

"I guess you're not dying tonight," Kagome said sleepily, resting her head on his shoulder.

"I told you it would be fine."

She scoffed. "I believe my visions more than you. You're...unpredictable."

"Unpredictable?" Inuyasha protested.

"Yeah. You do things I don't expect. For instance, I didn't expect you to be a big softie."

"Softie! Listen woman..." he growled.

She giggled. "That's the Inuyasha I remember. I thought you were a huge jerk when we first met. Well, no. I thought you were really awesome for saving me from Hiten. But then you opened your mouth and _then_ I thought you were a huge jerk."

"Yeah well," he said lamely. "It was my first day back, what did you expect?"

"I didn't know that at the time," Kagome pointed out. "All I knew was that you were mean."

"Well in my defence, you weren't Miss Perfect either. I recall thinking of you as a giant bitch," Inuyasha said matter-of-fact.

Kagome raised her head from his shoulder and turned to face him in outrage. Then she paused, thinking about it. "Yeah..." she admitted. "I was a bit insensitive and self-centred."

"A bit?" Inuyasha said with a raised eyebrow.

She punched him lightly in the arm. "I admitted I was wrong, get over it. Besides, I had my own issues at the time. "I was searching for some 'mysterious boy', fighting with Sango, and here you were...getting under my skin at every turn."

"I am good at that," he admitted as if proud.

"You can't bother me anymore," she said, sticking her tongue out. "I know what makes you tick. I don't always know what you're going to do though. Like I said, you're unpredictable."

"I'm unpredictable, but whatever I do won't bother you? Because you know what makes me tick?" Inuyasha said, trying to get it straight.

"Well...yeah. I mean, if you do something _stupid_, I'll be bothered. But not like...agitated. You can't get under my skin anymore, is what I'm trying to say," Kagome said firmly, though sounding slightly confused herself. Must be the sleep deprivation, she thought.

A glint came into Inuyasha's eyes. "I can't get under your skin anymore? Not even a little bit?" He shifted rapidly in order to pin her against the side of his bed.

Kagome's eyes widened. "Noo–ooo," she said shakily.

His eyes sparkled as he leaned in to quickly kiss her lips. Pulling back an inch, he said, "Are you sure?"

She felt his breath skate across her lips and she shivered. "Not even a little bit," she said, the tremor in her voice betraying her.

A feral grin snaked across his lips as he lowered his mouth to her neck.

At the sensation of his lips moving over her neck, Kagome's eyes opened wide. "_Inuyasha_!" she shrieked in surprise.

The sounds of Souta stirring caused Inuyasha to jump back and once again resume an innocent position beside Kagome. She held a hand to her neck, her heart beating rapidly. Souta merely rolled over and fell back to sleep, completely unaware of what had just transpired.

Kagome's mind was still reeling. "I can't believe you just did that!" she whispered furiously.

Inuyasha was looking too self-satisfied to be abashed. "Got under your skin, didn't I?"

Kagome felt like arguing, but realized that urge was just to cover up the butterflies flittering in her stomach. Reluctantly, she gulped. "You sure did." As an afterthought, she punched him in the arm again. "You cad."

His mischief done, Inuyasha sank down on his back, laying his head on her lap. "That'll teach you."

Kagome let out an exasperated breath as she absentmindedly started to stroke his hair. "Teach me what, you dolt? You know, I think being in your human form makes you more frisky."

Inuyasha scoffed even as he leaned into her hand. "Ha! I have no idea what you're talking about."

Kagome giggled. "Don't worry, I won't tell anyone."

"I have no idea what you're talking about," he stubbornly repeated.

They sat in silence for another hour, Inuyasha relaxing as Kagome continued her administrations on his hair. As the morning light started to shine through the window, Inuyasha's black hair spun into silver between Kagome's hands. His dog ears poked their way through his mane and his nails grew once more into talons. He opened his golden eyes to gaze up at Kagome with a slightly dazed expression.

"Well, that's that then," Kagome said, letting out a sigh of relief. "Safe for another month at least."

"Are you talking about from the murderer or from me?" Inuyasha asked suspiciously, pulling himself up to face her.

"The murderer of course," Kagome retorted.

"Good. 'Cause you'll never be safe from me," Inuyasha intoned ominously, taking her face into his hands. He pulled her towards him and drew her into a lingering kiss. This time she didn't resist and it was several moments before either of them pulled away. "Do you think it's just my human side now?"

Kagome pressed her lips together, unable to suppress her smile. It felt like fire was coursing through her veins. "I suppose that would be a no," she grudgingly admitted. "And you can wipe that smirk off your face."

"Not a chance," he crowed, a fang catching on his lower lip.

Kagome sighed as she looked at the brightening window. "I should get back to my room before everyone gets up."

Inuyasha reluctantly nodded. "See you at breakfast?"

"Yeah," she said, stuffing everything back into her bag and hauling it over her shoulder. She leaned over to give him another quick kiss. "Love you."

Inuyasha watched as she exited the dorm, closing the door quietly behind her. "Love you too," he said softly.

..:V:..

On and off during the next week, Inuyasha was plagued by his dreams. They would start with the crack of a gunshot, and then the sound of skirts rustling. Only then would his vision form, always showing that endless hallway. He would start running down it, so anxious to get to the other end, but he could never reach it. He knew something terrible was behind him, and the end of that hallway was his only salvation. If only he could reach it...

His own restlessness would always wake him. He was often clammy with sweat, his bedding always in disarray. His heart was always racing and he had to take several deep breaths to calm himself once more. The more dreams he had, however, the more he got accustomed to them. His dread slowly turned into curiosity and he became ever more determined to see what lay at the end of the corridor.

But, he thought ironically, that could be just like wondering what happened at the end of the movie Titanic. A disaster waiting to happen, and everyone already knew the ending.

He supposed he should instead turn his attention to the beginning of the dream, before his vision kicked in. That's where he should have seen the killer's face, wasn't it?

Still, he knew something was at the end of the hall as well. And he'd be damned if this dream got the better of him.

"Earth to Inuyasha! Anyone home?"

Inuyasha startled out of his reverie to see Sango waving a hand in front of his face.

"Huh?" was his unintelligible reply. He had been sitting alone at their usual breakfast table and had zoned out while waiting for the others.

"'Bout time you came back to reality," Sango said with a smirk. "I've been sitting beside you now for at least a couple minutes. Without even one word of greeting."

Inuyasha shook his head to dispel the last of his daydreams. "Sorry. Morning, Sango."

"No one else is here yet, huh?"

"Nope. Hey, what about you? Kagome didn't come with you?"

"Nah. I had swim practice early this morning so we went our separate ways. Or rather, I snuck out quietly at an ungodly hour and she kept snoozing away peacefully," Sango replied, a tinge of resentment in her voice.

"There's something I'm beginning to love about the smell of chlorine," Miroku said as he approached. He went to sit down beside Sango, smelling her hair as one of his hands roamed south to her behind.

She squealed and elbowed him lightly. "Not in public," she whispered furiously.

Inuyasha laughed. "Looks like you're making progress, pervert."

Sango's cheeks glowed red.

"Morning, troop," Kagome announced her presence with a yawn.

"Morning, Kagome," the others intoned.

"Finish the Physics lab, Inuyasha?" she asked, sitting down across from them.

"Yeah, yeah. I did my homework," he said, making a face.

"And you understood it?" she pressed.

"Tch, of course. I–" he paused mid-sentence, realizing what he was saying. Then, slower, "Yeah, I did understand it. Completely... Wow."

"Congratulations!" Sango cheered as Miroku reached behind her to clap Inuyasha on the shoulder.

"Thanks," Inuyasha responded sheepishly.

"So what's new on the mystery front?" Miroku inquired. "You went to your old house, got some vibes, then went to the police station, got rejected, received the report from Sesshoumaru, got dejected... Now what?"

Kagome sighed. "Who knows? I'm running out of ideas. I mean...the police _were_ pretty thorough. But there was just nothing to go on. Nothing was left at the scene of the crime."

"My memory _is_ starting to get jogged," Inuyasha inserted. "But I'm hitting a wall. Well, a hallway, really. Okay so that doesn't really make sense. What I'm saying is that I keep dreaming about this never-ending hallway that I'm running down. I know it has something to do with that night, but I can't seem to get any further in the hallway. I'm stuck. I think we should keep investigating."

"Investigating what?" Kagome asked in exasperation. "No forensic evidence, no witnesses, absolutely nothing to go on..."

The pair lapsed into silence, disheartened.

"Well, what about after the crime itself?" Miroku suggested.

Kagome lifted her eyes to meet his. "What do you mean?"

"I mean, think about it. This crime happened on impulse by someone who probably never meant to do such a thing. They luckily got away with it, but they couldn't have known that right away. They were probably on pins and needles, searching the news for any scrap of information they could get. Constantly trying to determine if some new evidence would point to them. And not to mention, here you were, Inuyasha, lying in a hospital bed still alive. If you ever woke up, you might be able to tell the police everything that happened that night. Just think of what must have been going through the murderer's mind," Miroku explained.

"He must have been frantic," Sango picked up where he left off. "There's no way he would do just nothing in that situation. I mean, what would _you_ do if you had just shot three people and one of them lived to tell the tale? Or at least, would be able to tell it if he ever woke up?"

Kagome straightened in her seat. "You guys are geniuses!"

Inuyasha furrowed his brow. "Wait, are you guys saying...he might have tried to finish the job? Like...off me in the hospital or something?"

"He must have done _something_," Kagome said excitedly. "There's no _way_ he would have just let you be, assume everything would be fine for him and totally forget about you."

Inuyasha frowned. "But obviously he _didn't_ get to me 'cause here I am, in the flesh. I didn't hear about any attempts on my life either... Is there really any clue there to find?"

Miroku shrugged. "It's worth checking into, isn't it? Go to the hospital and ask the nurses that worked there five years ago if there was any suspicious activity, or figure out who visited you regularly and ask them if they ever saw something. It can't hurt, can it? And if nothing else, maybe the hospital will help jog your memory somehow."

Inuyasha nodded thoughtfully. "Yeah, alright. It's a good idea. Though I really hate the thought of going back to that hospital. That's where I first found out...about what happened to my parents and everything. Not exactly good memories."

"Understandable," Sango said with a shudder. "If it were me, I'd never want to go near a hospital again. Your courage really impresses me."

Miroku mock pouted. "What about my courage, dearest Sango? Doesn't it impress you?"

Sango's voice was thick with scepticism. "Your courage? What have _you_ done lately that required any courage–" She stiffened as she felt his hand roaming again. "–Except continue to grope me in public, you lunkhead!" A resounding twack! was heard throughout the cafeteria as Sango's fist connected with her boyfriend's jaw.

The breakfast group dispersed soon after.

..:V:..

"Okay, seriously bad memories going on here," Inuyasha gulped as he and Kagome looked up at the looming hospital.

"How long were you in here once you woke up?" she asked.

"A few weeks at least," Inuyasha said, making a face as if he had a bad taste in his mouth. "I was really weak and disoriented. I couldn't remember much of anything and my speech was all out of whack. It took a while for things to come back to me. And I had to work with a speech therapist."

"Wow," Kagome blinked.

"Once I was released from here, I was sent to a rehabilitation centre for a bit, to continue with my physical and mental therapy."

"Jeez."

"Yeah, not really a happy time. First I had to _remember_ who my parents were, and _then_ realize they had been murdered."

"That...sucks," Kagome declared.

"Tell me about it. And though pretty much everything did eventually come back to me, the memory of that night never did. So here we are now, looking for the last piece. And I had to come back _here_ to try and find it," he said, looking up at the building in disgust.

"Well, we might as well get it over with then," Kagome said, looping an arm through his.

After checking in with the front desk, they were directed to the east wing of the third floor where the coma ward was located. They ran into a young looking nurse who didn't look too busy and decided to ask her some questions.

"Um, excuse me?" Kagome started tentatively.

The woman looked up from a chart. "Yes, can I help you?"

"Well, we were just wondering – that is–" she looked at Inuyasha helplessly.

"You see, I was a patient here before," he took over. "I was in a coma for five years and woke up a year ago. We were wondering if anyone here remembers that period of time."

The nurse looked uncertain. "Er, I don't really know myself. I'm a new intern. But Keiko might know – she's the head nurse of this ward."

"Is she available to talk to?" Kagome asked.

"Uh, yeah. One sec, I'll get her," the nurse replied, rushing off.

After Kagome and Inuyasha awkwardly waited outside a comatose man's room for a few minutes, the young nurse came back with a distinctly older one in tow.

"Hello, how may I help you two?" the head nurse asked abruptly, giving the opinion she wasn't going to waste time.

"Hi, I'm–"

"Inuyasha Reijiro," she cut in. "I remember you. It took me a moment to place you. It's not often I get the pleasure of seeing one of my coma patients up and about. So what brings you back here, my dear?"

"Well I – we – are kind of looking into what happened to my parents and I six years ago. I can't remember that night myself and we were wondering if you could answer some of our questions," Inuyasha explained.

Keiko blinked. "Well, I can try but what exactly are you wondering about? As you know, you came to us after the whole thing happened. I'm not sure what I can tell you that can help."

"Well, for one... did anyone, um, you know... try to finish the job?" Inuyasha asked, swallowing thickly.

Keiko looked confused for a moment before it dawned on her just exactly what it was he was asking her. "Finish the job! Oh heaven's, no! Nothing of the sort ever happened on my watch. Well, I mean it's not like they could have anyway."

"What do you mean?" Kagome asked.

"Why, Sesshoumaru – your brother – of course," she replied, nodding to Inuyasha. "He had two bodyguards posted outside your room at all times."

Inuyasha gave a start. "What – the...whole time? Like for the entire five years I was in a coma?"

"Why yes. Twenty-four, seven. You didn't know? He was determined that nothing should happen to you."

"We are talking about _my_ brother, Sesshoumaru?" Inuyasha said slowly.

She gave him a quizzical look. "Of course. You were his only remaining relative. He was devastated by what happened. I've never seen such a lost soul."

Inuyasha almost choked on his words. "He was...emotional?"

Keiko frowned slightly. "Well no. Just...empty. He was like a shell. There were only a few things that kept him going."

Inuyasha was stunned into silence.

Kagome took over. "What were they?"

"His work, for one. I didn't know much about it, but I knew he was suddenly responsible for that entire company of your family's. It seemed to me like he threw himself into the work to distract himself from what had happened. That little girl he befriended on the ward also seemed to be a turning point, as I recall," Keiko reflected.

Kagome glanced at Inuyasha out of the corner of her eye. "Sounds like he really cared about Inuyasha..."

"Undoubtably. He was here constantly, checking in. And if he couldn't make it due to his schedule, he always sent that pleasant assistant of his...what was her name now?" she broke off thoughtfully.

"Kagura Ishitaru?" Kagome supplied helpfully.

"Yes, yes, that was it. She was in quite a bit, checking in on your condition for your brother."

"Can you remember any of the other visitors Inuyasha had while he was in the coma?" Kagome asked.

Keiko thought for a moment before shaking her head regretfully. "I'm afraid I don't remember. I was usually at my station and only saw Sesshoumaru or Kagura if they were questioning your status. The nurses responsible for your room would have a better idea of the normal, day-to-day visitors. Unfortunately, many have moved departments since then. Akemi would have a good idea – she was one of the regular day nurses – but she's off today. If you came back another time, you could talk to her."

"We'll probably do that," Kagome said cheerfully. "Thanks a lot, you've been really helpful."

Inuyasha nodded wordlessly, still in disbelief about his brother.

"Glad to help. But if you'll excuse me, I really have to get back to work," Keiko said, nodding to each of them before heading back down the hall.

"Well then..." Kagome looked down the hall. "Did you want to wander the ward a bit, just to see if any memories strike you?"

Inuyasha shook himself out of his reverie. "No... All I'm remembering from this place is _not_ remembering anything. It's giving me the creeps. It was a very surreal and unnerving time. I'd rather just get out of here."

Kagome nodded. "Okay, let's book it."

Inuyasha blew out a frustrated breath as they exited the building. "But did we really learn anything? Other than...you know...Sesshoumaru's...weirdness?" He seemed incapable of articulating the words.

Kagome smirked to herself before responding. "Well, maybe not this visit, but we can come back again to question that nurse Akemi. And in the meantime we can go ask Sesshoumaru and Kagura if they know of any other visitors or suspicious activity that might have happened around your room at the time."

Inuyasha shrugged. "Yeah, alright. If we call my brother, he can probably arrange for them both to stay later at work tomorrow night. We could pick up Rin from school and go over to Western Enterprises to talk to them."

"Sounds like a plan," Kagome nodded.

Silence stretched between them.

"You know you actually have to get out your phone in order to make a call," Kagome pressed gently.

Inuyasha started. "Who–me?"

"He is _your_ brother," she reminded him.

"Half-brother," he sullenly muttered. All vehemence seemed to have escaped his voice, however.

"Yeah, that _nasty_ half-brother who cared for you and checked in on you for five years while you were in a coma, not to mention spent incalculable amounts of money on bodyguards to make sure you were protected around the clock from further harm..." Kagome said airily.

"See, that's just ridiculous. That's crazy speak right there. Completely unbelievable. I won't hear another word of your nonsense babble," Inuyasha insisted, crossing his arms and glaring straight ahead.

"Inuyasha–"

"My brother's an asshole through and through. That's how I know and hate him. It's how it works. He hates me for who the hell knows what reason and I hate him right back. Because he's an asshole. And always will be. And I don't want to talk about it anymore."

"You don't want to talk about how he–?"

"Nope, not a bit! And I'll call the jerk later. Let's carry on. Hm, how about that Mimic concert? Only a week and a half away, isn't it? Lots to look forward to on that front. I can't wait!" Inuyasha said with forced cheerfulness, pumping a fist in the air.

Kagome looked at him sceptically out of the corner of her eye, but decided to let it go for now. They travelled back to the school, discussing the upcoming concert with anticipation.

..:V:..

"We have got to stop stopping and looking up at impressively looming buildings before we enter them," Kagome said to Inuyasha as they stood outside of Western Enterprises, inevitably looking up at the large building.

"It is happening a lot lately," Inuyasha remarked with a quirk to his lips. "Okay, let's go."

Rin skipped along with them as they had just picked her up from her elementary school. She was very eager to see Sesshoumaru and rattled off exactly what she was going to tell him about her day at school as they went up the elevator.

As they entered Kagura's office area, they saw the subjects of their search. Kagura was leaning back against the front of her desk, chatting with Sesshoumaru who was casually leaning on the doorframe leading into his inner office. Kagome spotted the hairpin Sesshoumaru had given Kagura as a Christmas present lodged firmer in the latter's updo. Likewise, the chain of Sesshoumaru's new pocket watch was visibly hanging between one of the buttons of his vest and his pocket. As the new arrivals made their presence known, the pair straightened immediately and gave them their full attention.

"Uncle Sesshoumaru! Kagura!" Rin singsonged, rushing over to give them hugs.

"Hey Rin," Kagura greeted, smiling fondly.

"Rin," Sesshoumaru nodded curtly, patting her on the head.

"So what's up, guys?" Kagura asked curiously. "Why the emergency chat?"

"Well, it's not an emergency per se..." Kagome started hesitantly.

"More like an inquiry...that we're impatient to find out about," Inuyasha tried to clarify. "You know we've been investigating–" he eyed Rin, "–stuff. We've hit a temporary roadblock and we were hoping you two might be able to help out.

"You see, we've gone through all the police files but there's really nothing to go on there. Then yesterday we went to the hospital I stayed in during the coma. We were trying to ask about any visitors that might have come by and acted suspicious, or of any attempts to like...take me out for good that might have happened. The head nurse told us she only remembers you two visiting...frequently...and the nurse who would know more didn't happen to be there that day. We were hoping you two might remember something about that time..."

Inuyasha had directed most of his speech towards Kagura as he couldn't seem to look his brother in the eyes. He was on edge, trying to capture any indication that Sesshoumaru might not be a total dick like he had always thought.

"If we're talking about remembering things in order to solve this mystery, shouldn't that responsibility fall to _you_, little brother?" Sesshoumaru asked flatly.

And there went that pipe dream.

Inuyasha grit his teeth. "Even so, _brother_, do you think you could just answer the question?"

Sesshoumaru gave an almost imperceptible shrug. "I encountered nothing suspicious on my _infrequent_ visits. Really, Inuyasha, I was barely there enough to be able to see anything–"

"That's not true, Uncle Sesshoumaru!" Rin piped up. "You were there _every_ day while I was there and you told me–"

"Yes, thank you Rin," Sesshoumaru said, looking as if he had a bad taste in his mouth. "That's wonderful. Thank you for reminding me. How silly of me to forget." She beamed at him in response.

Inuyasha eyed his brother warily. "So you _were_ there a lot?"

Kagura and Kagome shared a smirk as the brothers stared each other down.

Finally Sesshoumaru replied evasively, "I never saw anyone visit whom I thought was suspicious. And no one attempted to kill you while you were in the coma. _I_ was waiting until after you woke up."

Inuyasha seethed. "Oh yeah? And why didn't you, you jerk?"

Sesshoumaru quirked an eyebrow. "Because you haven't solved the murder of our parents yet, obviously. What other reason is there to keep you around?"

Inuyasha fumed in silence, robbed of all words.

"In any case, while Inuyasha was sleeping his life away, nothing out of the ordinary was brought to my attention and no one suspicious could have gotten past the bodyguards to begin with. Satisfied?"

"I am," Kagome cut in. "How about you, Kagura?"

The older woman shrugged. "Nothing comes to mind. I mean, in terms of other visitors... Inuyasha's friend Jinenji came at first, before the family moved... Um, a few of his teachers. A couple of his parents' friends and colleagues came, but not many. They mostly just attended the funeral. I can't think of anyone else though, off the top of my head. We had a lot of issues with reporters and paparazzi, as I recall. Even with the bodyguards posted, it was a real challenge to keep them out. Eventually the craze started to die away and things settled down."

Kagome frowned, unhappy. "So you're both essentially saying that we're barking up the wrong tree here. And I thought Miroku's idea of the hospital was such a good one!"

Kagura looked apologetic. "I don't know what to tell you..."

"Unless that nurse remembers anything useful, it looks like we really will have to rely entirely on Inuyasha's memory coming back," Kagome said resignedly.

Sesshoumaru gave a delicate snort. "I highly doubt there is chance of _that_ miracle occurring. If the mere fact that our parents were murdered in cold blood was not enough incentive for him, there is little your helpless sighs will elicit."

"You think I _want_ to be this way?" Inuyasha roared. "You think I _want_ to not remember that night?"

"Perhaps you think your constitution would not be able to handle it," Sesshoumaru baited him.

"You giant prick! You have no idea what it's like!" Inuyasha snarled, tears pricking his eyes. "My whole life changed overnight and nothing anyone can tell me makes it make any sense at all! You all tell me my parents are dead, but I can only remember them alive! You tell me I was shot and almost died, but all I can feel is this ache in my back! You tell me I saw the whole thing, but when I try to look back, all I see is blackness! I'm plagued by headaches and nightmares trying to tell me what happened at the same time as trying to shield me from it. I'm trying to find out what happened and all you can say is that I'm inept and a failure! You've never cared a jot about me or anything I do. I wish Mom and Dad were here right now...but they aren't...and they're never coming back. And I can't even remember why. But I guess that makes me weak in your eyes."

Tears were streaming down Inuyasha's cheeks at this point as he glared defiantly at his stony faced brother. The turn in mood had silenced Kagura and Kagome, but Rin was acutely affected. She had begun to cry along with Inuyasha, upset because he was upset, but not fully understanding why.

Kagura couldn't stand to watch the scene. She hugged Rin to herself, trying to soothe her. Then, looking up, she said, "Inuyasha, your brother doesn't think you're weak–"

"Let him think what he wishes," Sesshoumaru cut in coldly.

"So he can hate you for all eternity?" she snapped back. "Would you drop your macho front already? I'm getting tired of it, not to mention it's tearing what's left of your family apart! Can't you see that now is when you should stick together above all else? You shouldn't be hating each other, you should be hating that – that _bastard_ who killed your parents."

Her voice was emotional and she made no effort to shield Rin from her language this time. Rin was so distraught, however, it was unlikely she paid any attention.

Sesshoumaru took a step forward, a conflicted expression on his face. "Kagura..."

Kagura's expression soon changed from angry to broken and apologetic. "I–I'm sorry. You just...you just can't let _him_ win," she pleaded, her voice cracking. "You can't let him get away with it. He's–" Her face had gone completely white. She straightened up, seemingly trying to reign in her emotions. "He's just not worth it," she finished in a meek voice.

Sesshoumaru placed a hand on her shoulder in comfort, regret in his eyes. Inuyasha hung his head in shame, taking her words to heart as he wiped his tears away with his sleeve. Kagome took in the scene in shock, feeling like an awkward outsider. She could sense there was no room for her in this discussion and she wouldn't know what to say even if she felt there was.

The fight seemed to have gone out of both brothers and the silence stretched between them all. Slowly Rin's sniffles lessened and Sesshoumaru beckoned her to him. He knelt down to embrace her before wiping away her tears and stroking her hair.

"I'm sorry you had to witness that, Rin," he told her solemnly.

Rin sniffed a few more times, hiccuping once, before throwing her tiny arms around his neck. He patted her back until her distress fully calmed. Then she pulled away and went over to Inuyasha. He was still staring fixedly at the carpet, but looked up when she tugged at the hem of his shirt. Pain flickered across his face until she held her arms out to him. Then he knelt down and hugged her too.

"Sorry, Rin," he mumbled into her hair.

Kagome noted that neither brother was apologizing to the other, but nor were they like to. Apologizing to Rin was probably the closest they would get to showing their regret for their argument.

She felt frustrated at how they treated each other. In her opinion, they were both emotionally constipated. She could understand Inuyasha's feelings, but he was failing to see past his brother's barbs to see the truth of his actions. In regards to Sesshoumaru, Kagome couldn't see why the man was determined to throw those barbs out in the first place. It was as if the world would end if Inuyasha ever realized he actually cared about his younger brother.

They were both dunces. But as frustrated as Kagome felt inside, she just knew she couldn't interfere in their relationship. They would reach an understanding one way or the other and she would stay out of it. Neither of the brothers would listen to her anyway. Their stubbornness, at least, was something they had in common.

"Sorry, Kagura," Inuyasha said, looking up at the other woman apologetically.

Kagura looked as pained as the brothers. In a low voice, she responded, "You never have to apologize to me, Inuyasha... It wouldn't hurt if the two of you apologized to each other though."

"It's getting dark out," Sesshoumaru said abruptly, clasping his hands behind his back and striding to the large window overlooking the city. "You two should head back to the school."

Kagome and Inuyasha looked at each other uncertainly.

"I'll call the chauffeur and the limo will meet you downstairs," he continued. "We will meet again for the Mimic concert next weekend. Good night." With that, he took Rin with him into his office and closed the door.

Kagura gave them a nervous smile. "Well, that could have gone better... I'm sorry we couldn't help with the hospital bit, and I hope you don't take Sesshoumaru's words to heart, Inuyasha. He just...well...we all have our defence mechanisms, I guess," she said with a helpless sigh.

Inuyasha's expression was still guarded, but he wisely choose not to argue. "Take care, Kagura. I'm sure we'll be seeing you again in the not so distant future."

They quickly embraced and Inuyasha nodded to Kagome, indicating he was ready to leave. Kagome felt like she was on pins and needles after that meeting and she almost had a heart attack when they ran into someone as they were exiting the office.

After a moment's pause, she recognized him as one of the men they'd met before – Mr. Hirozaki, the treasurer. He had some reports in his hand and looked just as startled as them when they bumped into him.

"Goodness! Inuyasha and...Kagome, was it? What are you doing here? Everything alright?" he asked earnestly.

Inuyasha gave a half glance back to the office they'd just been in. "Yeah...everything's just peachy. What about you? Still keeping late hours?"

The man sighed comically. "Working at Western Enterprises means your work's never done. Alas, I'm doing what I can. Excuse me, I was just going to lay these reports on Ms. Ishitaru's desk so that Mr. Reijiro can have a look at them in the morning."

"Yeah, no problem," Inuyasha said, moving out of his way. "Catch you later."

As they were riding down the elevator, Kagome slipped a hand into Inuyasha's and leaned her head on his shoulder. "That was positively undelightful. Let's never repeat that."

Inuyasha looked up at the elevator ceiling and let his head thunk against the wall. "I hear you. You _do_ see why I hate my brother now, don't you?"

"Inuyasha, don't start," Kagome said tiredly. "I feel sick enough already. No need to keep going over it. Let's just get out of here."

Inuyasha felt her body slump more heavily into his own and looked down at her worriedly. Her eyes were closed and she was breathing shallowly.

"Kagome? Are you alright?"

She opened her eyes and gave him a weak smile. "I think I'm just tired and stressed out. This investigation has been so intensive and we don't seem to be getting anywhere. And now this... Don't worry about me, I just need a good night's rest to get my energy back."

Inuyasha wrapped an arm around her and squeezed her comfortingly. "I think we need a bit of a break from this investigation," he decided. "We'll just relax this upcoming week, and then have fun at that concert. And then we'll get back at it. How does that sound?"

"Mmm, good," Kagome replied sleepily, snuggling into his side. "Mimic...can't wait."

"Me neither," he replied softly, kissing the top of her head.

The elevator ride ended promptly, and the two of them climbed into the limousine that was waiting for them outside the front entrance. Soon after, they were headed back to Madison College, countless thoughts swirling around in their sleepy heads.

* * *

A/N Oookay, folks! I'm moving to Japan in about a month so it probably won't be until I get settled that I crack into another chapter. But we've got about six more to go until the end, and you won't want to miss it! Hope you liked this chapter and I'd love to hear your thoughts! We're really getting into the heart of the mystery now – what new developments will unfold?


	16. How I Met You

Disclaimer: I thought that moving to Japan would get me one step closer to owning Inuyasha, but alas, it hasn't happened yet.

A/N Could it be? Could it truly be? Yes, indeed, it is another In the Shadows update - its first from the land of Japan. And I assure you I'm all well and good - I wasn't affected by the giant earthquake and tsunami too much. Hope you enjoy this chapter!

* * *

"Black skirt with red shirt, or with white shirt and flashy belt?" Kagome faced Sango with a deadly serious expression, holding up two clothing choices.

Sango scrutinized the two outfits on display in front of her before squinting and saying, "Mmmm, both great choices, but I think I'm going to have to give it to door number two — black skirt, white blouse and flashy belt. As long as you wear those kick ass heels I got you for Christmas, which are currently hiding in the depths of your closet."

Kagome gave her a wide-eyed look. "Do...do you think I can? They're not too...sexy?"

Sango burst out laughing. "Kagome, you're so innocent. Of course they're sexy! That's the point!"

Kagome pouted. "I'm not _that_ innocent. Just...I feel kind of like a stripper or something when I wear them. And besides, it's just a concert. How dressy do I need to be?"

"As dressy as you want. And trust me, you look _way_ classier than a stripper with them on. I bought them for you for a reason. They suit you perfectly. I wouldn't lie to you, my friend," Sango said matter-of-fact.

"Oh alright," Kagome gave in, trying to suppress a smile. "I was looking for an excuse to wear them anyway. Now turn around so I can change."

Sango turned to face the wall and Kagome quickly shimmied into her outfit for the evening. Once having clipped the belt into place, she dug the heels out of the closet and slipped into them. She twirled once for Sango's admiration, eliciting a squeal of delight from the girl.

"Gorgeous! I'm so jealous of you guys, you're going to have a great time tonight."

"I know, I'm so excited!" Kagome exclaimed.

Without warning, the scene before Kagome's eyes shifted away, to be replaced by a larger room with many beds and her younger brother grinning up at her.

_"I'm so excited!" she exclaimed. "I still can't believe you bought these tickets, Souta!"_

_Souta grinned abashedly at her. "I thought you deserved to have fun once in a while."_

_"You're the best brother ever!" Kagome declared, wrapping him up in a hug. "Now let's get going, we wouldn't want to miss it!"_

"Whoa, Kagome!"

Kagome came back to herself only to realize she was toppling off her heels. Thankfully Sango dashed in to catch her before she fell.

"Are you okay?" Sango asked, concern in her eyes.

Kagome shook her head, not entirely sure what had just happened. "Yeah...yeah, I'm fine. I guess I should have practiced wearing these heels more ahead of time. Thanks."

"Don't mention it."

_That was just weird_, Kagome thought to herself. _That was not a normal vision…_

"Man, seeing you getting all dolled up makes me want to go out and do something tonight too," Sango said, walking back to her bed. "Do you think I should call Miroku and strong-arm him into taking me out on a date?"

Kagome decided to forget about the strange occurrence and focus on her roommate's words. "Yes, definitely! And there will hardly be any strong-arming involved, I'm sure. Miroku's always at your beck and call."

"That had better be true," Sango mused, absentmindedly cracking her knuckles. "I can't get lax and let any other girls distract him."

"I really don't think you have to worry!" Kagome assured her with a chuckle.

"Okay, it's decided, I'm getting him to take me out tonight. But first, please let me do your hair and make-up," Sango begged.

"Be my guest," Kagome invited her. "There's still a lot of time before the concert — you can play to your heart's content."

"You are too good to me," Sango informed her, her fingers twitching in anticipation.

..:V:..

"You look—" Inuyasha gulped, "—really pretty." He and Souta had come to pick her up from her dorm room. Kagome looked ravishing, her hair half up, half down in waves and her eyes dusted with soft glittery make-up. Not to mention her ensemble. Inuyasha had to remind himself that this was _his_ girlfriend.

"She is my finest creation," Sango beamed from within the room.

"I can see why," Inuyasha said, his eyes not straying from Kagome. "But I'm having the strangest urge not to let anyone else see her."

"That can happen when I work my magic," Sango admitted apologetically.

Kagome laughed, but took her brother's arm instead of Inuyasha's. "You two are silly. Let's get going, guys. Are Sesshoumaru and Rin here yet?"

"Ah, I got a text from Sesshoumaru asking us to come to Western Enterprises. He had to go into the office to take care of some sudden business, but he said it wouldn't take long. If we meet him there, we can go straight to the concert afterwards. The concert hall is nearby," Inuyasha explained.

"Hm. Alright then. Let's head out then." The three bid Sango good-bye and headed out of the school. Sesshoumaru had been considerate enough to send another limousine for them so they hopped inside and made their way to his company.

When they entered the area outside Sesshoumaru's office, they saw Kagura at her desk, focused intently on her computer monitor. She did not appear to notice their entrance and when Inuyasha uttered a word of greeting, she jumped as if shocked.

She looked up at them and gave a crooked smile. "Oh hello, kids. Why are you here?"

Kagura didn't look her usual self. Her hair had been hastily done and her eye make-up was smudged. She seemed distracted and fidgety, and wouldn't look at them directly.

"Um...we're here to meet Sesshoumaru," Inuyasha explained, giving her a questioning look that she didn't catch. "To go to the concert?"

"Oh! Right, of course, of course. Silly me, to forget. That's right, that thing is tonight. It sounds like so much fun, I'm sure you'll have a great time," she babbled. "That band, they're fantastic…who are you going to see again?"

Inuyasha and Kagome shared a look. "Mimic… Didn't you help my brother get the tickets?"

"Oh, that's right," Kagura replied absently. "Well, enjoy yourselves and don't fight with your brother, you hear? He's a very nice man."

She started straightening some papers on her desk and Inuyasha leaned over to say something, but pulled back just as quickly, his nose wrinkling. In a confused voice, he asked, "Have you been drinking?"

She seemed to regain her composure in an instant and gave him a cold stare. "Don't be ridiculous, Inuyasha." She waved them towards the inner doors. "You can go on in there, Sesshoumaru and Rin are inside."

Inuyasha gave her a puzzled look, but headed towards his brother's office, Souta following in his wake.

Kagome held back a moment, letting them go before her. She turned to ask the older woman in a concerned tone, "A-are you alright, Kagura?"

Kagura's hard look melted and she smiled half-heartedly. "My, don't you look nice tonight. Have a good time, okay? I want to hear all about how it went afterwards."

Kagome tried to return her smile, but it felt as forced as Kagura's looked. "Of course." She entered Sesshoumaru's inner office feeling very uneasy.

"Did you have a fight with Kagura or something?" Inuyasha was asking his brother as she stepped inside, closing the door behind her. "She seems all weird."

Sesshoumaru brushed him off. "Nothing of the sort. If she's acting different today, it's probably due to some family problem. I don't delve into the personal issues of my employees."

Inuyasha snorted loudly at the same time as Kagome coughed into her hand. _Bullshit_, they thought simultaneously. Each of them could clearly see that Kagura was more than just an employee to Sesshoumaru Reijiro. What exactly she was was unclear, but she certainly wasn't just a number. Nevertheless, Sesshoumaru seemed determined to play it cool and so they opted for that option as well.

Rin, however, didn't have the same insight. "Is there something the matter with Kagura?" she asked Sesshoumaru anxiously. "Shouldn't you help her, Uncle Sesshoumaru?"

Sesshoumaru cleared his throat and shifted awkwardly. "I'm sure she's fine, Rin. Nothing to worry about. Are you all ready for the concert?"

This tactic succeeded in distracting Rin and she smiled brightly. "Yes! Oh, I can't wait, I can't wait!"

"Then let's go, just after I sign this last document…" he said, picking up a pen and swiftly scribbling on a paper on his desk. He then took the paper along with a stack of other freshly signed documents from the corner of his desk and carried them out to Kagura, the others docilely following in his wake. "Please, go ahead and press the button for the elevator," he beckoned them.

As they exited the office area, Kagome glanced behind to see Sesshoumaru setting the papers on Kagura's desk. She still looked as distant as before, and he momentarily covered one of her hands with his own, leaning over to speak quiet words Kagome couldn't catch. Kagura looked up at him, biting her lip as though anxious. They gazed at each other for a moment before Kagura looked away, saying something with forced cheeriness. Sesshoumaru straightened, bringing his hand back to his side, and turned away abruptly. He came to join the others by the elevator in pensive silence, though Kagome wasn't sure the others read his mood.

The two kids were babbling about the concert ahead of them and soon their infectious mood distracted the others from whatever might have been disturbing Kagura. They exited the building in high spirits, excited for the night ahead.

They arrived at the concert hall soon after. It was already bustling with excited fans and it took awhile for them to make it as far as the lobby. As soon as they stepped inside the open room, Kagome's vision slid away from her again.

_"Souta, can you believe it? We're here!" Kagome gazed up in wonder at the concert hall lobby._

_"Are you ready to rock out?" he asked with a grin._

_"You bet! Quick, let's get some drinks and find our seats. I can hardly wait for it to start!_"

His laughter died away in Kagome's head as she came back to reality. No one else had noticed her spaced out moment and she shook herself as if to relieve herself of it. The vision had felt like a strange echo of the current circumstances and she couldn't even describe what a weird, fuzzy feeling it left in her head.

She looked over to where her brother was laughing about something with Inuyasha. He looked somewhat different than in her vision. His hair in reality was shorter from a recent haircut, and he was wearing a blue shirt instead of a red one. His grin was the same, however, as he strived to reach a box of Glosettes Inuyasha was holding just out of his reach.

"You're going to have to be taller than that!" Inuyasha taunted, popping one of the chocolate covered raisins in his mouth with a smirk.

Souta pouted. "Hey, no fair!"

Inuyasha laughed and then knocked him lightly on the head with the box, letting him have it. Souta whooped in glee then turned to Kagome to show off his prize. "Lookie what I got!"

Kagome smiled at him. "That's awesome."

"Yup, I'm all set for this concert. How about you, Kagome? Are you ready to rock out?"

Kagome started and gave him a strange look. "What did you say?"

"...Are you ready to rock out?" her brother repeated slowly.

Kagome gave a nervous laugh. "Ah, right. Yes, of course I'm ready. We better check our seats and see how far away they are from these other guys," she said, indicating Inuyasha, Sesshoumaru and Rin.

"I was saving my money for months so I got some pretty wicked seats if I do say so myself," Souta boasted proudly.

"Alright Joker, let's see what you've got," Inuyasha challenged, whipping out his ticket to compare.

After a few seconds of studying their tickets, Inuyasha stuttered in disbelief, "E42...E44… Holy, we're right next to each other! Kagome, what's yours say?"

Hardly believing her ears, Kagome fumbled to look at her own ticket. "E43… My seat's right beside yours, Inuyasha."

"We have E45 and E46!" Rin chirped from beside Sesshoumaru.

"How...is that even possible?" Kagome wondered aloud. "You bought the tickets separately a long time ago, didn't you?" she asked Souta and Sesshoumaru. Each nodded his assent.

"What a crazy coincidence," Inuyasha said in wonder. "But hey, I'm not going to turn my nose up at it. This means the concert's going to be awesome! We're all together, and seeing Mimic live! The only way to one up this is if Sesshoumaru's seat were somehow relocated as far away as possible…"

Sesshoumaru raised a delicate eyebrow. "May I remind you who paid and arranged for this occasion? Gratitude is a trait worth acquiring, Inuyasha. You'd do well to remember that."

Inuyasha grumbled under his breath but offered no retort.

"Shall we get a few drinks before heading inside?" Kagome asked. "I'm pretty sure this venue allows them in the concert hall."

"I could go for that, yeah!" Inuyasha enthused, his eyes lighting up.

After the group was sufficiently armed with snacks and beverages, they made their way into the theatre and went about locating their seats. They had arrived in plenty of time and had only to kill time until the opening act started.

As they were shuffling down their designated aisle, Kagome once again experienced the double vision.

_"We're looking for E42 and E43, Souta," she told her little brother as they started down the aisle._

_"Well, we're in E already," he replied. "And we're at 33 now. Only a little farther…"_

_"Remind me how you got these tickets again?" she teased, still hardly believing her good fortune._

_"I told you, Hiromu's older brother helped me. I also asked for a bit of the money from what our parents left us."_

_"We really shouldn't waste that…" Kagome wavered uncertainly._

_"Oh come _on_, Kagome. You know we deserve a little fun every now and then. The tickets had to be sold to somebody — it might as well have been us," he replied cheekily._

_"Yeah." Kagome stuck her tongue out at him. "Who am I kidding, anyway? I wouldn't trade this for the world!"_

_"Ah, here we are! E42 and 43!" Souta proclaimed proudly._

_The neighbouring seats to their own were already filled. A group of three seemingly mismatched individuals were sitting together, and yet seemed oddly apart. Two were young men, both with long silver hair, but completely opposite manners. One was slouched in his seat, ball cap shadowing his face and arms crossed across his chest. The other sat rigidly, with almost impossibly perfect posture, and not a single hair out of place in his silver mane. His focus seemed to be on the third member of their party, a young girl with shoulder-length brown hair. She seemed very excited and was demanding his attention to ask about anything and everything going on around them._

_Kagome saw her own seat was next to the seemingly sleeping man. Souta sat down in his seat and she edged past him, turning around to be able to sit down herself. As she was manoeuvring, however, her purse knocked her neighbour on the head. He was awake in a flash._

_"Hey, watch it!" a gruff voice snapped at her._

_"Ah, I'm so sorry!" Kagome apologized immediately, bringing her purse close to her side and sitting down. She turned to face him as she said, "I really didn't mean to hit you, I just—"_

_Her eyes locked onto the most brilliant gold ones she'd ever seen before. A baleful stare was coming her way from her neighbour who was _way_ younger than she'd initially thought. He had to be nearly her age, give or take a couple years. After a split second of staring at the good looking boy, she realized she'd stopped speaking mid-sentence. Giving him a sloppy smile, she finished clumsily with, "Well—sorry."_

_He stared at her a moment longer before darting his gaze elsewhere. "S'okay," he mumbled._

_"Uncle Sesshoumaru, will you lift me up during the performance so I can see?" the little girl piped up from a few seats down._

_"No, Rin," the other silver haired man sighed. "You'll just have to content yourself with the booster seat provided for you."_

_"Okay, but if I'm not tall enough, I wanna be lifted up!"_

_"Of course you do. But no still means no." The little girl continued to pester him, but Kagome's focus shifted back to the boy next to her. He was unbelievably attractive and she felt nervous just sitting next to him. Not that she should entertain any thoughts about getting to know him better. She knew better. She was finished with making friends or any other kind of relationship for that matter._

_She forced her mind away from the silver hairs tickling her arm on the armrest and back to her younger brother who was reading through the program. "Find anything out?" she questioned him._

_"Twenty minutes to showtime," he informed her. Not that he had to since she had been very attentive to the time since before their evening had even begun. "Looks like the opening band will play for an hour before Mimic comes out."_

_Kagome sighed. "I don't even know who they are. I wish Mimic would just play the whole way through. Who needs an opening band anyway?"_

_"Amen to that," the boy beside her grumbled. Clearly he hadn't been able to go back to sleep. Kagome had to fight the involuntary happy feeling that came with him agreeing with her and involving himself in their conversation._

_'_Get a grip_,' she told herself. '_He's just a random dude sitting beside you in a theatre. Also, you can't have any more relationships. None whatsoever. The other person only ever gets hurt_.'_

_She grit her teeth and forced herself to ignore him. Like that uncle had said, no means no._

"Whoa," Kagome breathed out heavily as she came out of her vision. She was seated in her seat, Souta at her left, browsing through his program and Inuyasha on her left fussing with something on his sleeve.

"Whoa what, sis?" Souta asked casually, not looking up from the pamphlet. Inuyasha also tilted one of his ears in her direction.

"Whoa, I'm having some seriously weird visions," she whispered for their ears only.

That got both of their attention. Pamphlet and sleeve were suddenly forgotten about and the two of them were turned in her direction.

"Visions of what?" Inuyasha asked anxiously.

"Who's in it? Do we need to do anything?" Souta pressed.

"Visions...of this concert. I think. But it's different…" Kagome said, sounding as confused as she felt.

"...Someone dying at this concert?" Souta continued his previous train of thought.

"No, no, no one's dying," Kagome refuted.

Souta's eyebrows shot up and he blinked in surprise. "Well, that's a first."

"You know, I think I prefer non-death visions," Inuyasha said. "I think Kagome should have more of these."

"Well if there's no dying, what the heck's happening?" Souta asked eagerly.

"I honestly have no idea," Kagome replied. "It's like we're at the same concert, but...Inuyasha and I don't seem to know each other. At all."

"Oh wait, no, I don't like this vision," Inuyasha decided. "Let's go back to the death."

"Has anything actually happened in the vision?" Souta asked with a frown.

Kagome gave a little shrug. "No, not really. We sat down and despite thinking my seat neighbour was cute, I decided to ignore him because no more relationships means no more relationships," she said in a mocking strict voice.

"Well, at least there's some semblance of reality in that vision," Inuyasha remarked smugly. Giving himself a flourish, he continued, "There's no turning _this_ off, after all."

Kagome smacked him in the arm and hid a smile.

"And nothing else happened?" Souta asked.

Kagome shook her head. "Not so far. But these visions have been kind of recurring tonight. I don't think that was the last one."

Souta blew out his breath much like she had a minute ago. "Well, I'd say the evening just got a whole lot more interesting."

"And god willing, doesn't end in death," Kagome added.

"Amen to that," Inuyasha said.

"Argh, not again! First Souta, now you…" Kagome moaned, putting her hands to her head and rubbing her temples.

"What?" Inuyasha blinked innocently.

"You keep echoing things your vision-selves said. It's beyond surreal."

"...Sorry?" he offered hesitantly.

"No, don't worry about it. This is all just really weird," Kagome said apologetically.

"Well, maybe this will help take your mind off it," Souta said. "Looks like the opening act is starting to set up. Just try to enjoy the show!"

Kagome sat back in her seat, banished thoughts of visions from her head and tried to do just that.

..:V:..

_"Yeeeeeaaaaahhhh, Mimic!"_

_Clapping and whistles echoed throughout the theatre as the band finished playing one of their songs. Most people, including Kagome and Souta, were on their feet, cheering as loud as they could._

_Kagome's neighbour had been fairly quiet during the opening act, staying in his seat and practically falling asleep again. When Mimic had come on stage, however, he had perked up and immediately sprung to his feet. He hadn't sat down since._

_Kagome had stolen a few glances at him, noticing the happy expression plastered all over his face. He seemed so excited, like a young boy on his birthday. The drink in his hand seemed all but forgotten, only gaining moments of his attention at a time._

_She turned back to the performance, feeling as happy as he looked. She hadn't felt this good in a long time. She didn't know she could anymore. Hojo's death still haunted her in her dreams. Not to mention the unknown boy whose vision of death she was plagued with almost every night. She didn't even know him — why couldn't those nightmares just go away? She couldn't stop their outcome, she knew these visions always ended the same way, in cold reality._

_But tonight, her world of nightmares was suspended. For a brief moment, the horrors that plagued her were swept away. She closed her eyes and let the music wash over her. This music could take her far away, far away from her reality. She loved Mimic for that. And her little brother was at her side, having arranged it all. The constant goodness in her life, safe beside her. This was as beautiful as Kagome could ever imagine the world being._

_"Whoa—geez!"_

_Kagome's serenity was abruptly shattered by an icy cold feeling making its way down her head, shoulders and front. She gave out a shriek, opening her eyes to see what had happened._

_The cold feeling was actually something liquid. At first she feared a repeat of her nightmare vision, but as her eyes adjusted to the dim lighting, she realized she was instead just drenched with pop. Her neighbour was standing agape, empty drink cup gripped loosely in his hand. He looked horrified and hastily tried to explain._

_"Oh hell… I—I uh… Rin was trying to climb up on Sesshoumaru, see, and she accidentally kicked me and well, I wasn't ready and I kinda tripped a bit and well...uh...my drink kind of well...um…"_

_Kagome stood there fuming and shivering at the same time. She wanted to open her mouth and let him have it. She wanted to rant and scream at him for interrupting her one moment of peace. She wanted to tell him off for dumping his stupid Coke all over her, staining her one nice outfit, not to mention her coat that was on the seat behind her. She had never felt more like punching someone in her entire life._

_But...his eyes. Big golden beacons set in a face flooded with panic and remorse. It was like they were begging her, like a puppy dog. All his defences were down, the roughness from before completely vanished. Something about them...just called to her._

_She stood there, frozen in shock and uncertainty until a new voice spoke up. It belonged to the other silver haired man and its tone wasn't one to be argued with. "Inuyasha, what are you standing there uselessly for? Your multitude of excuses will not do her any good at this point. Best go help her get cleaned up."_

_Her neighbour's mouth shut with a snap. With a slight snarl, he threw back at the other man, "Shut up, you don't have to tell me what to do. I know to help her already. Shove off!"_

_"Well, _clearly_—" the other man started._

_"C'mon, let's get out of here," the boy called Inuyasha interrupted, grabbing Kagome's hand and ushering her down the aisle._

_"Wait—Souta," Kagome paused, looking uncertainly at her brother._

_"I'll look after him," the older man assured her. She looked at him suspiciously until he handed her a business card._

_She got a glance at it when a flashing light passed their way."Whoa, CEO of Western Enterprises? Like the company that makes all the computer stuff?"_

_"The very one. I assure you your brother will come to no harm under my protection," Sesshoumaru Reijiro said solemnly._

_Kagome wavered. "Maybe you should just come with me, Souta."_

_Souta blew out a breath that ruffled his bangs. His sister hadn't talked to anyone but himself and their orphanage mother for months. He was getting tired of her self-exile from the world and everyone in it. Even if it were just for fifteen minutes, he wanted her to talk to someone else._

_"I'll be fine, Kagome. I don't want to miss any of the concert!" he protested, drawing out the whiniest voice he could muster. In a lower tone, he added, "Besides, no visions of me lately, right? I'll be totally okay."_

_Kagome stood looking at him for a moment, contemplating, before another shudder racked her body. She gave him a reluctant nod and edged past him, the Inuyasha boy following in her wake._

"Yeeeeeaaaaahhhh, Mimic!"

Kagome started in her seat, trying to get her bearings. It looked like Mimic had just finished singing one of their songs and everyone was on their feet cheering.

Déjà vu was way weirder when it was real, she decided. On a side note, she was not appreciating the fact that these side visions were making her miss the majority of the concert. So not cool.

"What's wrong, Kagome?" Inuyasha asked from beside her, noticing she was still in her seat and looking listless. His smile slipped a little. "More visions?"

She nodded as she stood up next to him. "Yeah...they're getting longer. They feel...important. I think I need to—" she stopped mid-sentence, eyeing the drink in his hand. "Hey uh...Inuyasha? Do me a favour and put down your drink."

"Huh? Why?" he asked curiously, taking another sip now that he was reminded of its presence.

"Just trust me on this, I'd really rather if you just put...it...down…" Kagome said nervously.

Inuyasha shrugged. "If you say so—"

Suddenly he was jostled from behind as Rin was scrambling on Sesshoumaru and Inuyasha lurched forward, his arm snapping up and his drink raining down all over Kagome...again.

"Oh come on!" Kagome yelled out in frustration at no one in particular. "At least I knew what to expect this time…" she muttered to herself.

Inuyasha was staring at her in shock, much the same he had been in her vision. Except this time, instead of horror, his expression instead changed to one of wonder.

"Whoa…!" He stared from his empty drink cup back to her. "Kagome, you totally saw that coming! That's crazy!"

She arched an eyebrow. "Yeah, it's fan-flipping-tastic. May I remind you that I'm still sopping wet?"

He started and broke out of his wonder. "Oh shit, yeah. Sorry. It's just Rin—"

"—kicked you as she was climbing on Sesshoumaru, yeah I _know_," Kagome emphasized. "Can we do something about it already?"

"Yeah, yeah, c'mon. Let's get out of here," he urged, taking her hand.

"Sesshoumaru, can I trust you to keep an eye on Souta?" Kagome asked the older brother before leaving. He gave a curt nod in response, seeing as how he was in the middle of admonishing Rin. "Be back in a bit," she told Souta as they edged past him.

Upsetting many people in the aisle as they bumped past them and temporarily blocked their view of the performance, Inuyasha and Kagome slowly made their way out of the row. Kagome chanced a look down at herself and felt her white blouse might be completely ruined. With a sigh, she started up the stairs after Inuyasha. They headed for the big doors that led into the lobby.

Before they were halfway there, Kagome faltered. "Inuyasha…"

He turned back to look at her. "Yeah?"

"V-vision…" she uttered, her eyes rolling back in her head.

"Shit!" He was beside her in a flash, wrapping his arms around her waist to keep her from falling down. He looped one of her arms over his shoulder and hobbled the rest of the way to the lobby doors.

The usher tried to block his path, but Inuyasha indicated his zoned out girlfriend. "She's soaked with pop, man, and feels really sick. Please just let us out so she can get cleaned up and get some fresh air."

The usher took a split second to study her and then nodded his assent. "But once you go out, I can't let you back in until intermission."

Inuyasha sighed. "Yeah, that's fine. Thanks."

As silently as he could, the usher opened one of the doors and Inuyasha slipped through with Kagome.

..:V:..

_"She's soaked with pop, man. She can't wait for a break. Please just let us out so she can get cleaned up," the silver haired boy pleaded with the usher._

_He took a moment to take in her appearance. There was nothing to debate there. Her hair was plastered to her skull and Coke was dripping into her eyes. Not to mention her white blouse was completely stained and practically see-through at this point. The usher gave a nod but assured them they could only re-enter at intermission. The pair quickly agreed and silently slipped out the big double doors into the lobby._

_"Oh geez…" Kagome sighed once they were in the light and she got a good look at herself. Pop was still streaming down her skin in tiny rivulets, only to drip on the floor wherever she stood. Her shirt most definitely was see-through and the outline of her bra was much in evidence. She hastily tried to cover herself with her arms._

_The boy's cheeks blazed red and he tried to avert his gaze while coughing uncomfortably._

_"Oh, what am I going to do?" Kagome moaned._

_Inuyasha broke out of his embarrassment long enough to look down at himself and take in that he was wearing two shirts himself - a short-sleeved over a long sleeved. "Don't worry, I'll give you one of mine," he said. He hesitated only a moment before finally taking off his ball cap. Kagome gasped at the sight of two furry dog ears peeking out from his silver mane at the top of his head. She had suspected some demon blood due to his unusual eye and hair colour, but this definitely confirmed it._

_He glared at her defensively. "What, you've never seen a half-demon before?"_

_"Well...no, actually. Not a half, anyway. But I'm all for equality," she said, hoping to defuse the situation._

_It seemed to work. He turned away from her and scrambled out of both of his shirts, eliciting a shriek out of Kagome._

_"What are you doing?" she hissed at the sight of his naked torso. Her gaze quickly swept the lobby to make sure no one was going to kick them out of for this. Seeing no one paying attention, she looked back to the finely toned back in front of her. Not that she was impressed or anything._

_"I'm giving you my long-sleeved shirt. It's bound to be warmer for you after being wet like that," he said by way of an explanation as he worked to untangle the two shirts from one another._

_But Kagome's attention was fixed elsewhere. In the middle of his back was a horrific scar. Its shape was somewhat circular, the kind of wound she thought she'd seen before, long ago. Before she knew what she was doing, she reached out a hand and brushed it with her fingertips._

_"What's this…?"_

_He stiffened under her touch and pulled away instantly. "Nothing," he snapped, turning to face her._

_Her gaze was now fixed on his equally toned chest and her cheeks heated up once more. What was this boy doing to her?_

_He quickly donned his short-sleeved t-shirt once more. She looked up to see him offering his long-sleeved shirt to her._

_"Here. You can clean up in the bathroom and change into this." His tone was softer, as if regretful of his previous harshness._

_Kagome nodded, her cheeks still red, before accepting the offered shirt. It was still warm from his body heat and Kagome turned abruptly around before he could notice her face glowing even more._

_"You, uh…" he started awkwardly. "You don't need any help, do you...?"_

_Now her neck was burning too. "No!" she said, a bit more forcefully than she meant to. In a high voice, she added, "I'll be fine, thanks!"_

_She heard a sigh of relief from behind her. "Okay then… I'll, uh, wait out here then."_

_"Okay!" Without looking back, Kagome marched to the ladies' room, determined not to come out until she was clean and her emotions were in check._

Kagome blinked as she came out of her daze, still blushing. She found herself sitting on a bench beside Inuyasha, her head on his shoulder. She lifted it quickly as the soda from her hair was starting to seep into his shirt.

"Ah, there you are," Inuyasha said upon her recovery. "How'd it go?"

His tone was as calm as if he were asking about her day at school. She gave him a flat look. "You became a stripper."

"What?" he yelped.

"That's right, pretty boy. Now give me one of your shirts to change into. Unless you want the world to stare at my bra all day." Kagome found she was severely less embarrassed about the situation when it was the second time around.

Inuyasha stared blatantly at her chest for a moment before shooting to his feet and standing in front of her. It didn't seem to occur to him that it was an empty lobby he was trying to shield her from.

"Inuyasha," Kagome said patiently. "Shirt?"

"Oh, right, yeah," he said, turning around. "Good idea. Why didn't I think of that?"

"Don't worry, you were about to," Kagome assured him.

He gave her a strange look before scrambling out of his shirts. Kagome watched calmly, though she still couldn't suppress the blush at the sight of his naked flesh. Okay, apparently Inuyasha had this effect on her, second time or no.

He once again offered the long-sleeved shirt to her and she took it gratefully as he put his t-shirt back on. As she started heading for the bathroom, he spoke up behind her.

"You, uh… You don't need any help, do you…?"

Kagome smirked to herself before turning back to him with a helpless expression. "Actually...do you think you could give me a hand?"

For a moment he looked like a deer in the headlights before Kagome burst out laughing. The completely panicked expression on his face was priceless. "Don't worry about it, Inuyasha. I was just kidding. I can handle it on my own, thanks. See you soon."

His mind reeled before remembering how to breathe again. "O-okay. I'll wait out here then," he stammered.

Kagome entered the bathroom and took stock of her situation. It was mostly her head and torso that were drenched — her waist down was mostly dry. She debated for a moment before locking the bathroom door and taking off her blouse to wash up. She struggled with the sink taps in order to wash her skin and rinse her hair. She ran her shirt under the water to try and get the stains out, wringing it semi-dry once she'd done all she could. She then did her best to dry her hair with the hand dryer. Finally, she donned Inuyasha's shirt which was decidedly too big for her. Its collar hung off one shoulder and its sleeves hung far past her hands. But it sure beat being in her wet see-through blouse. And Inuyasha was right — it was warmer.

Kagome took one last look at herself looking decidedly less fabulous and put together than she had at the beginning of the evening and sighed. She started for the door when the now-familiar feeling of the world being pulled away came upon her.

"Not...now…" she uttered before falling heavily against the door.

From the other side, Inuyasha's ears perked up from the sound of a loud thud against the bathroom door. Alarmed, he rushed over.

"Kagome?" he called through the door. "Kagome, are you alright?"

When he got no answer, he tried the door. It was locked. He cursed under his breath. "_Kagome_!"

_Kagome looked at herself in the mirror and sighed. She felt so small in the boy's shirt, but strangely safe and warm. She shrugged the silly thought away and grabbed her discarded blouse to head back into the lobby._

_He was waiting on a plushy couch not too far away and she went over and plopped down beside him. "Thanks for the shirt," she ventured. "You were right, it is warm."_

_"Don't mention it," he mumbled. In a somewhat embarrassed tone, he added, "I was the one to dump all the pop on you in the first place, after all."_

_"You have a point," Kagome said before turning her attention to looking around the lobby. "I suppose we're stuck out here for a while longer, huh?"_

_The boy looked at his watch. "Twenty minutes until intermission."_

_The two sat in silence for a few awkward moments._

_"...My name is Kagome," Kagome finally offered, figuring she should properly introduce herself._

_"Inuyasha," the boy replied._

_More silence reigned._

_"How...how long did you travel to come see Mimic?" Kagome asked. She mentally kicked herself for continuing to talk to him. But was she just supposed to resign herself to utter boredom while waiting for intermission?_

_"Didn't have to," was his reply. "I live in the city."_

_"Oh. Must be nice."_

_"Yeah," he said sarcastically. "It's the best ever."_

_Kagome cocked her head. "What's wrong with it? Bad school?"_

_Inuyasha shook his head as if he didn't know where to start. "No...just… nothing. It's fine. How about you? Where'd you come from?"_

_"Not too far away. A small town about half an hour out. And for the record, I hate my school," she said while making a face._

_He grinned. "But do you live at yours?"_

_She looked at him shocked. "You live at your school?"_

_"Yeah, in a dorm room. Just imagine being stuck at school twenty-four, seven."_

_Kagome gave a little shudder. "No thanks. What school is that anyway?"_

_"Madison College. Heard of it?"_

_Kagome thought for a moment and then shook her head. "No, I don't think so. But it sounds kind of pompous. Is it a prestigious school?"_

_Inuyasha shrugged. "Supposedly. I think I just got in because of my brother's money and influence. He is a rich bastard after all."_

_"The CEO guy? The one back in the concert hall?" Kagome asked, gesturing back towards the big double doors._

_Inuyasha nodded. "Yup, that's him. He doesn't quite fit in there, does he?"_

_Kagome allowed a small smile despite herself. "He does look a little out of place," she admitted. "How is the girl related to you then?"_

_"She's my niece. Sort of." At Kagome's questioning look, he added, "Sesshoumaru just adopted her."_

_"Ah. Neat," Kagome replied._

_"And you? Was that your younger brother?"_

_Kagome was pretty sure he already knew the answer and was just fishing for topics at this point. "Yeah, that was Souta. He's nine."_

_"How old are you then?" he asked next._

_"Fifteen. You?"_

_"Tw—" he cut himself off with a mocking smile. "Seventeen. I guess I'm older than you."_

_"You guess?" Kagome laughed. "You're two years older!"_

_"Yeah, yeah," he shrugged her off as he looked around. "Hey, look!"_

_He nudged her shoulder and pointed to a far corner of the lobby. Kagome cursed her heart that skipped a beat at his touch. She tried to distract herself by looking to where Inuyasha was indicating._

_It looked like some employees were setting up a table full of Mimic merchandise. T-shirts, mugs, CDs, keychains, anything and everything._

_Inuyasha stood up and offered her a hand. "C'mon, let's check it out. I bet they're getting ready for intermission. But since we're out here first, maybe they'll let us take first pick."_

_Without thinking, Kagome took his hand and stood up gleefully. "That would be awesome. It would almost make getting dumped on by pop worth it."_

_A sheepish smile graced Inuyasha's face as they started walking towards the stand. "'Almost' being the keyword there, of course."_

_"Of course," Kagome responded quickly, though with a smile to let him know she was teasing. "After all, a bought CD can't exactly compare to the real thing."_

_"True enough," Inuyasha conceded. "But at least you're not being made to suffer alone. I'm also losing out because I couldn't hold onto my own drink."_

_"Misery does like company. Oh, crap!" Kagome stopped abruptly, which caused Inuyasha to stop too, through their joined hands. Kagome hadn't realized she was still holding his hand until that moment. She hastily broke out of the hold. "Sorry, I just realized I left my purse in the theatre. I don't have any money with me."_

_Inuyasha debated for a moment before saying, "Don't worry about it. I've got my wallet. I'll spot you some money. Just pick what you want."_

_"Are you sure?" Kagome hesitated, biting her bottom lip._

_Inuyasha's eyes followed the movement before looking away. "Yes. But you better choose quickly, before I change my mind!"_

_"Okay, okay." Kagome's eyes roved the merchandise on the table. "How about a t-shirt? Then I could give you back yours."_

_Inuyasha shook his head. "Don't worry about that. We can meet up some other time to deal with it. Unless you really want a t-shirt, of course."_

_The idea of seeing him again gave Kagome an unexpected thrill. She made a rash decision, maybe one she would regret later. "No, not really. Meeting up later sounds good. What I really want is...um…" she choose the first thing her eyes landed on, "a ball cap."_

_"A ball cap?"_

_Kagome nodded firmly. "Yes. And maybe a concert CD. Since, you know, I've missed half of it."_

_Inuyasha shot her a mocking glare. "Alright, alright. I get it already, woman." Their eyes met, each twinkling in mirth, before they both abruptly found other mundane things in the lobby to be fascinated with._

_Inuyasha reasoned with the employee at the table for a few minutes before finally persuading her to sell them a few items before everyone else got there. He purchased two CDs, a t-shirt for himself and the ball cap Kagome "wanted"._

_As they walked away, Kagome jammed the hat on her head. "How is it?"_

_Inuyasha stopped to look at her. The cap looked great on her, her still damp hair spilling out from underneath and down over her shoulders. It was then he noticed one shoulder was bare as the collar from the shirt he'd given her had slipped down. Without thinking, he lifted a hand to pull the shirt up over her shoulder, effectively hiding the bra strap that had been showing. Blushing furiously, he turned and kept walking. "Looks fine," he managed to mumble._

_Kagome stood frozen for a moment, goosebumps where his fingers had grazed her skin. She gulped harshly before hastening to catch up with him. They made their way back to the couch to wait out the remaining time until intermission._

_"Should only be two more minutes now," Inuyasha said, looking at his watch._

_Kagome nodded. "You know, it's probably going to get crazy in here once everyone comes out. And it'll probably be mayhem after the concert too. Maybe we should exchange information now, so that we can get together another time and I can return your shirt."_

_Inuyasha nodded thoughtfully. "Sounds like a good idea. Here, put yourself into my phone," he said, handing her his cell phone._

_"Thanks." Kagome quickly entered her information into his cell's address book. Handing it back to him, she said, "Here. Can you send your number in a text to my phone? It's still in my purse in the theatre, but I'm sure to get it that way."_

_"Sure thing." He tapped away for a few moments before snapping his phone closed and leaning back. "There. Now we'll see each other again."_

_The doors to the hall opened then and a sea of people started flooding into the lobby. Kagome smiled softly and repeated his last words, "Now we'll see each other again…"_

Kagome came to to find herself still on the bathroom floor. She could hear a horrible pounding sound coming from somewhere above her, and arguing voices. As she woozily propped herself up on her knees, she realized someone was knocking harshly on the door and Inuyasha's raised voice was saying, "Hurry up already! Open the door! My girlfriend's in trouble! Kagome, are you okay?"

Kagome struggled to her feet and reached for the lock. As she opened the door, her vision was flooded with the sight of Inuyasha's relieved face. He rushed forward to embrace her, then pulled away to look at her face. A harassed looking employee huffed behind Inuyasha. "She looks fine to me…" he mumbled before walking away.

"Are you okay, Kagome?" Inuyasha asked her anxiously. "You scared me half to death."

"I'm okay, Inuyasha. I'm fine, really," she assured him.

"What happened? How many more visions are you going to have tonight? Why's this happening?"

"It's...complicated. But I think I understand why."

"You do? Please, enlighten me. I'm really starting to get worried. How many more times are you going to collapse alone when I can't get to you?" Inuyasha heckled her.

"I'll tell you in a minute."

"In a minute? Why not now?"

"Because I'm having one more vision," Kagome said, bracing her hands on his shoulders.

Inuyasha rolled his eyes in exasperation. "Oh for the love of…" He bent down and picked her up in his arms as her eyes shifted out of focus.

_A familiar scene lay before her. Inuyasha was on the ground at her feet, bloody and gasping for air. His dark hair fanned out beneath his head, which was bruised and swollen._

_Tears dripped down her cheeks and the snow crunched as she knelt down beside him. He reached out a shaky hand and she quickly grasped it, hugging it to her chest._

_"I-Inu...yasha…" she sobbed. "No, please no."_

_He coughed and a splatter of blood erupted from his mouth. "Ka..Kagome…"_

_Her vision was blurred by a new wave of tears as she lovingly brushed hair away from his face. "I'm here, Inuyasha." The confidence she was hoping to instil in those words wasn't there. Her voice shook and betrayed her fear. Teardrops fell from her cheeks onto his brow._

_He took a breath that rattled in his chest. As his eyes grew dimmer, he let out one last exhale, "We tried…" Then his head lolled limply to the side._

Kagome snapped back to reality with a sense of finality that shocked her. Somehow she instinctively knew she would be having no more visions that night.

She lifted her head to find herself cuddled in Inuyasha's lap on the plush couch she'd previously seen in her visions. Tears had streaked her face and further stained Inuyasha's shirt.

At her movement, Inuyasha looked down at her, the same worried expression on his face as before. "What's happening?" he asked quietly.

"It's over now," she informed him, shifting to sit beside him on the couch.

"You're sure?"

"I'm sure. I just...know. The visions were trying to tell me something."

"What?"

"You know how we all just _happened_ to get these Mimic concert tickets? Like, you, me, Souta, Sesshoumaru and Rin? Souta and Sesshoumaru bought the tickets each a long time ago, before we even knew each other. And we just _happened_ to get tickets to the same day and same time and seats right next to each other?" Kagome elaborated.

"Giant crazy coincidence?" Inuyasha said, though his face showed he understood how far-fetched this idea was.

"That's just it — it was no coincidence." She sat up straighter and edged closer to him. "Don't you see, Inuyasha? This was supposed to have been how we first met!"

Inuyasha stared blankly at her for a few moments before his brain understood what she was trying to tell him. That didn't make it any less confusing though. "Say what?"

"Think about it! All of the visions I've had in the past of people dying have been people I personally knew. But when I first got the vision of you, I didn't know you. _Yet_. When I got that vision, I took initiative and sought you out. But what if I hadn't? I would have met you naturally, some other way. It would have been _here_, at _this concert_. That's what the visions tonight were trying to tell me."

"Are you kidding me?" Inuyasha was still aghast. "For real?"

Kagome nodded. "And that's not all. At the end, the last vision I had — it was of your death again."

"Oh great, more good news," Inuyasha rolled his eyes.

"More like...not, I'm afraid."

"Let's have it."

"I always thought that if I tracked you down and stayed with you and did my best to keep you out of danger... I would change things. I would change the vision I saw, and your inevitable death," Kagome started.

This vein of conversation was starting to make Inuyasha very uncomfortable. "Yeah, and?"

"Well...I did change things. In my vision...there was snow on the ground. There was never any snow before…"

Inuyasha gave her a horrified look. "You don't mean—"

Her eyes shone with fear as she swallowed audibly. "It was still winter in this vision. I've changed everything. But I haven't stopped your death. I sped it up."

* * *

A/N Shiiiiiiiiit.

(As a side note, if you're wondering why they seem to get along upon first meeting way better than they did in the real version - keep in mind that in the real version, Inuyasha had JUST come back to school and was trying to deal with everything. In this, he's had several more months to adjust. Plus, he just dumped pop all over someone who did him no harm. You know Inuyasha's guilt always gets to him in the end. :P)

Stay tuned for the next chapter! What's going to happen next?


	17. My Bloody Valentine

Disclaimer: I don't own him, but I guess that was never a surprise, huh?

A/N Howdy folks! Sorry for the wait, but here's a 21 page chapter for you to enjoy! Strap in, buckle up, get ready! Here we go!

* * *

"What do you mean, you sped it up?"

"For the millionth time, I don't really know. Somehow my actions have caused your death to happen sooner than it was going to."

"What actions?"

Kagome and Inuyasha were up on the roof, talking after school as the sun slipped down over the horizon. Three days had passed since the concert and Inuyasha had continually heckled Kagome about her statements that night. Kagome was being deliberately evasive with her answers, mainly because she didn't have any, and the topic made her extremely uneasy.

"I don't _know_, Inuyasha. Just...me coming early to Madison College and meeting you earlier than I was supposed to...these kinds of things are making your death happen earlier as well... I guess," Kagome said. She was sitting with her back against the railing and Inuyasha was standing beside her, leaning on the top rail and looking out at the city below.

"How could your presence have just...changed all that? Just by being here?" he asked doubtfully.

"Why would _I_ affect how quickly the killer kills you?" Kagome wondered out loud.

They were silent for a moment before a thought occurred to Inuyasha. "Maybe it's not so much _you_ personally that affects things, but what you make _me_ do."

"What do you mean?"

"What have you been encouraging me to do, ever since we found out I was the boy in your visions?" he asked her.

She frowned thoughtfully for a moment before meeting his eyes excitedly. "Remember the past!"

"Exactly. What if me remembering things faster is what speeds up the killer's agenda?" Inuyasha said eagerly. Then what he'd said sank in and he let out a shudder.

"Well, what do we do then?" Kagome asked worriedly. "If we stop you from remembering anymore, will you live?"

"Do you really believe that?" Inuyasha said sceptically. Kagome made a face to show she wasn't convinced. "Besides, even if that worked, that'd just mean the murderer gets to go free forever. I want the bastard caught more than anything."

"So then...what are you suggesting?"

"Your plan to do things from my past is working, slowly. I think if I do a whole bunch more stuff, it might speed it up. Then maybe, _maybe_ we can get ahead of the prick and I'll remember before he hunts me down. One call to the police should solve everything," Inuyasha declared confidently.

Kagome gave him a doubtful look. "I don't know how sound that logic is, but there's no harm in giving it a shot. But…"

"But what?"

"What if...what if he's somehow watching us?"

Silence filled the air.

"What?"

"You know...we've reasoned that your dad at least knew the killer because he let him into the house, all the way to the study. So he could have been someone close to your dad, your family. What if he's still close to you…? What if he'll be able to find out the minute you've remembered something?" Kagome ventured.

Inuyasha had gone pale. "Do...do you really think so?"

"It's just a guess, but… What if that's why you remembering things sooner triggers your death to happen earlier? What if as soon as you remember, that's when you die?"

Inuyasha swallowed hard. "I...I don't think I much care for that idea."

"It might not be true," Kagome reasoned.

"But...just in case...let's just keep things between us and Sesshoumaru from now on," Inuyasha said warily.

"Agreed," Kagome said.

"But you know, I haven't remembered anything concrete yet," Inuyasha started, a nervous hitch to his voice.

"Yeah," Kagome agreed. "What are you getting at?"

"Well...think about it. If in the vision, my death's really sped up and it now happens while there's snow on the ground… The snow usually lasts until about the end of March. It's February 2nd. That means…"

Kagome gasped. "There are only two new moons left. And the first one…"

"Is in six days," Inuyasha finished.

This time it was Kagome's turn to swallow thickly. "That's...not good," she said faintly.

"But like I said, I haven't remembered anything yet!" Inuyasha protested. "So it _can't_ be this new moon, can it?"

"I wish I had your confidence," the shaking in her voice betraying her trepidation. "Oh, Inuyasha, what if...what if…!"

He sat down beside her and took her face in his hands. When he had her attention, he said, "We won't let it happen, Kagome. We'll stick together for that night next week, just like we've been doing for the past few new moons. I won't dare go out for anything. It'll be fine."

She gave him a watery smile. "I hope you're right." She sighed and stood up, stretching slightly. "We should really get to bed though. It's past curfew."

Inuyasha nodded and followed her back to the trap door leading back into the school. Her earlier words rang in his head, however, bringing a fear he couldn't suppress.

_What if he's watching us? What if he's still close to you…?_

..:V:..

A gunshot rang out. Inuyasha's brow furrowed as he tried to wipe the scarlet from his eyes.

"_INUTAISHO_!"

The scarlet turned to blackness before his vision refocused on a hallway in front of him. The hallway.

He felt the familiar fear, but his determination was too strong this time. He started running, the hallway stretching out an unimaginable length before him. The longer he ran, the more his determination waned. Trepidation once again started to creep over him.

But he had to keep going. He knew the hallway wasn't this long. Any second now he would see the front door. He knew this hallway like the back of his hand.

There it was! He could see it now, coming ever closer at a pace that felt akin to a snail's. The familiar rich dark wood, intricate carving, golden handle…

This was it. This is what he needed to see. As he reached for the handle, he became aware of the footsteps pounding behind him. He yanked on the door, feeling he was on the threshold of something direly important. But he hesitated.

Just as the door was swinging open, he felt his tenuous grasp on the dream slip and his vision faded to white.

Inuyasha awoke in his darkened dorm room, sweating and panting heavily, his arm outstretched. At the realization that his memory had slipped away from him once again, he pounded his fist upon his forehead. "Dammit!"

He'd been_ so_ close this time. So damn close to seeing something substantial. But his hesitance had cost him once again. When would he be able to control his fear enough to finally confront his demons?

..:V:..

The next morning at breakfast, he told Kagome what he had seen in his dream.

"So you finally reached the end of the hallway and opened the door just to wake up?" she said, trying to get the facts straight.

"Yeah. I was _totally_ on the verge of seeing something important, I'm sure of it!" he vented his frustration.

"But…" Kagome frowned. "Correct me if I'm wrong, but shouldn't the important thing you see come from behind you? Isn't the killer chasing you?"

"Yeah…" Inuyasha replied uncertainly.

"Then what could possibly be so important behind the door? It's in the wrong direction. I mean, in your memory it probably equals freedom or escape from the killer, but that's it, right?"

Inuyasha shrugged helplessly. "I can't explain it. I just know I have to see what's there. And I'm so fed up with not remembering anything, especially now that we think there's someone just watching and waiting to make their move, to kill me whenever it's bloody convenient for them." He slammed a fist on the table.

"Good morning compatriots!" Miroku's sunny tone of voice broke into their depressed atmosphere.

"There's nothing good about it," Sango snarled from his side. "There is never anything good about being awake at this hour."

"Now now, Sango," he admonished lightly. To the others, he said, "She's just cranky because I had to work on an essay last night and couldn't hang out with her. She missed out on some valuable Miroku time."

Sango snorted. "Yeah, I was _sooo_ deprived. Luckily Bankotsu was able to spare some time for me instead, and helped me with my chem homework." She flipped her ponytail as she sat down across from Kagome.

Miroku choked as he half-sat, half-fell down in the seat beside her. "What? Bankotsu?" His voice was several octaves higher than normal.

"Oh yeah," Sango responded casually. "So don't worry about lil' old me being all alone and crying at night — I have _plenty_ of people to keep me company while you're busy." She gave Kagome a surreptitious wink.

"Now hey, wait a second," Miroku said seriously. "Why is Bankotsu helping you with chem homework all of a sudden? He's like the captain of the football team...and the soccer team! What does he want with you?"

"Why does he need to _want_ something from me?" Sango replied. "We've been in the same class since like grade four. We go waaaaay back, him and I."

"Y-you do?"

"Oh yeah. I consider him a really close, personal friend. And on that note, I'm gonna go buy my breakfast. Watch my stuff, will you Kagome?" Sango got up and cooly walked off.

Miroku scrambled to get up and chase after her. "Hang on, Sango—!" he called after her.

Inuyasha and Kagome burst into laughter once they were out of earshot.

"She sure played that up well," Kagome commented between giggles.

"It was about time Miroku had the tables turned on him," Inuyasha snorted.

When the couple returned with their food, Sango was still looking smug and Miroku slightly harried. He seemed to be trying to convince her that childhood friends were not all they were cracked up to be and that there was no one in their grade who knew more about chemistry than he did, should she ever need the extra help again.

"Anyways," Sango broke through his rambling. "What's new with you guys? You've been awfully quiet this week. Wasn't the concert any good?"

Simultaneously Inuyasha and Kagome both broke into forced laughter. "Oh, the concert! No, no, it was _great_," Kagome emphasized. "Sooo memorable."

"Ha ha ha, what she said," Inuyasha agreed.

Sango raised an eyebrow at their behaviour, but didn't comment on it. "Well, I'm glad to know Mimic's still got it," she said slowly. "Then if it's not that, is it the new semester? All new classes! Did you get any good ones?"

"I have Art," Kagome replied. "It's pretty fun so far. Then I have...Chemistry, Calculus and Computer Programming."

"Yeah, the only class we have in common this semester is Computer Programming," Inuyasha said. "Aside from that, I have Algebra, Biology and Business."

"Are you just disappointed you're not in more classes together then?" Sango asked the pair, still trying to ascertain what was bothering them.

"Yeah, that's what it must be," Kagome said, lying a little more believably this time. "It's too bad, really."

"Hey, I know what will lift the mood. We should all do something together soon," Miroku suggested. "How about this weekend?"

"Ah, I can't this weekend," Inuyasha said. "I have a huge Biology lab report due on Monday. Great way to kick off the new semester, right?"

He sent a glance to Kagome, and without words she knew the real reason he wanted to remain inside and alone this weekend was because it was too close to the new moon. He wanted to play it safe.

She nodded her agreement and added, "Yeah, I can't either — I have a big Calculus test to study for. How about next weekend?" _Assuming we make it through the new moon okay…_ she added in her head.

"Ah, fair enough," Miroku said. "Yeah, I could do next weekend. How about you, Sango?"

"I'm in. What should we do? Watch a movie or something?"

"Oh!" Inuyasha cut in eagerly. "We should watch the last movie I saw in theatres before my coma. I remember it was really awesome. It was called The Mummy."

"The Mummy, huh?" Miroku mused. "That is a pretty classic movie. Yeah, I could go for that."

"Me too," Sango agreed. "I used to have a huge crush on Brandon Frasier."

"Oh really?" Miroku said, turning to her expectantly. "First Bankotsu, now Brandon Frasier. I wasn't aware I had so much competition to contend with."

"It doesn't really count as competition once you've already gotten the girl," Sango remarked dryly. "Besides, my crush on Bankotsu was over in the seventh grade when he dumped spaghetti on my head."

"Wait, you actually did have a crush on Bankotsu too?" Miroku asked, his voice rising a little higher. "I suddenly feel like there's been a serious lack of information flow between us. Is there anything else I should know about?"

Sango shrugged and gave him a secretive smile. "Why ruin the surprise? Besides, we were in the middle of discussing Mummy watching plans."

Miroku spluttered for a moment but was left no time to retort.

"Yeah," Inuyasha said. "You know, we could probably watch it at my brother's place too. He has that giant TV and entertainment system."

"That would be pretty sweet," Sango admitted. "Okay, so it's a plan!"

They ate the rest of their breakfast while chatting happily and then went their respective ways when the bell for first period rang.

..:V:..

The rest of the week passed without incident, though school alone was enough to keep Inuyasha and Kagome busy. Kagome was actually thankful for the extra workload as, as it had been in the past, it was the only thing that successfully distracted her from the terror of real life events. The dread she felt about the upcoming new moon turned her stomach to knots and she couldn't bear to think that her nightmare vision could come true within a matter of days. She tossed and turned at night, only ever slipping into sleep for an hour or two at a time, before restlessly waking up again.

As for Inuyasha, he hardly stirred from his dorm room at all. He attended classes, though in a much more subdued manner than usual, and he didn't dare venture off campus for anything. He refused to go back to Sesshoumaru's house for the weekend and instead stayed shut up in his dorm room, doing homework and watching the clock tick ever closer to the night he feared. His nights were just as fitful as Kagome's as he kept seeing flashes of his dream memories, but he never stayed asleep long enough to fully immerse himself in them.

When they met up again Monday morning for breakfast, each of them had dark circles under their eyes and looked a little worse for wear.

"I think I completed like a month's worth of homework this past week," Kagome commented dully.

"I at least accomplished a month's worth of scribbles," Inuyasha replied. "I don't know if any of it was any sort of quality. I was a little distracted by my demise tomorrow night."

"God, this can't be happening," Kagome said. "Maybe it's _not_ this month, but next month."

"Even if it's next month, the part where it's _my demise_ still holds true," Inuyasha pointed out.

"Arrrgh!" Kagome exclaimed in frustration. "This is so not fair! You _can't_ die. You just _can't_. You hear me, Inuyasha? I won't allow it!"

Inuyasha paused. "Like ever? What if I'm like a hundred and two?"

"Only then will I allow you to pack it in!" Kagome declared. The two paused for a moment and then burst into giggles, the result of the high stress situation. When they passed, Kagome moaned anew. "Oh, what are we going to do? We can't stop an attack when we don't know where it's coming from…"

Inuyasha rubbed his face with his hand. "Tell me about it. I guess we just have to hope that tomorrow night's _not_ the night and then do all we can to figure out this mystery in the remaining month."

"But will it be enough time?" Kagome said quietly.

"It'll _have_ to be," Inuyasha said grimly. "It's all we've got. Or rather, if I survive this new moon, _then_ it's all we've got."

"Not much of a fighting chance," Kagome said, making a face. "Okay, but seriously — I can't spend another night doing homework. We should do something together tonight. If tomorrow really _is_ your last day, we _can't_ spend tonight doing math problems. We need to do something to take our minds off everything. Something a little more...fun."

Inuyasha raised an eyebrow. "Just what did you have in mind?"

..:V:..

"Right hand, blue."

Inuyasha groaned as the only available blue circle was far out of reach. He already felt like a pretzel and he was wondering why Kagome ever thought a game of Twister would be fun. He made an attempt for the circle anyway, but spectacularly failed, falling and taking Kagome down with him.

Souta looked down at him from his bed where he had been spinning the colour wheel. "You kind of suck at this game, Inuyasha," he informed him solemnly.

"Yeah, thanks kid. Real helpful," he grumbled, picking himself and Kagome up off the mat.

What resulted next was a series of board and card games which Souta continuously won. For although Kagome and Inuyasha were trying to take their minds of things, they couldn't help but be bothered by what might happen the following night. Therefore Inuyasha's "last night" was spent neither enjoyably nor memorably.

They hadn't told Souta of the change in vision so though he knew a new moon was approaching, he had no idea of its inflated importance. He assumed they were just a bit on edge because they always were around a new moon, and didn't know this could be the last one they dealt with.

Kagome felt guilty about not informing her brother, but she felt as though the more people who knew, the more real the possibility of Inuyasha's death the following night would become. She swore that if they made it through this, she would tell him everything.

As it was, they decided to wrap up their "fun" around eight o'clock and Kagome headed back to her own room. Now they had only to wait.

..:V:..

"Snacks, games, energy drinks… I think we're all set for another long stakeout," Kagome said, unloading items from her bottomless bag.

"The longest yet," Inuyasha muttered, playing with his newly black hair.

"Let's not think about that," Kagome said breezily, focusing her attention on the things she brought with her. "What's first?"

"Oh boy, more games!" Souta said excitedly. "This time I say we gamble with the candy so I can win something worthwhile."

"Gambling's wrong," Kagome said mildly. "..But I say let's go for it."

The three broke into the pack of cards and started playing a series of games which again, Souta won most of. The past week of stress and lack of sleep started to catch up to Inuyasha and Kagome, however, and before too long, they both felt their eyes drooping.

Souta excused himself around one in the morning and crashed on his bed. The other two tried to stay awake, but even the energy drinks were having no effect. Kagome pinched herself several times, but it was no use. She finally had no choice but to give into the black void of sleep.

She awoke slowly, light from the sun piercing her eyelids until she could no longer remain in slumber. She groggily raised a hand to shield her face as she opened her eyes into a squint. It wasn't until a minute later when full realization hit her and she looked around in a panic.

Her dismay was misplaced, however, since Inuyasha was sleeping soundly beside her on his bed, a peaceful expression on his face. Before her eyes, his hair was spinning itself back into silver and his ears slid up into his hairline to resume their furry shape atop his head. His fingernails lengthened and hardened and she knew his eyes had changed colour under his lids. She breathed the biggest sigh of relief of her life.

This hadn't been the new moon of her vision.

She flopped back on the bed, her head resting on Inuyasha's shoulder as she laughed softly to herself. They had more time. She turned on her side so she could rest her head over his heart and hear it beating strongly as his chest simultaneously rose with every breath. The sound and rhythm gave her comfort and she closed her eyes and drifted into sleep once more.

When she awoke next, it was to Souta's alarm, indicating it was time to get up and get ready for school. She groaned when she realized that the world going on past this night meant...the world went on past this night. And in reality, it was a Wednesday morning, only the middle of the school week. Failing to show up for school was _so_ much harder when you lived on campus.

Inuyasha stirred beneath her and she lifted her head as he blearily opened his eyes. "Good morning," she said with a smile.

"Good morning…" he said slowly, before bolting up in bed and grasping his long silver hair in amazement. "Nothing happened! I'm still here! I'm demon again. Most importantly, I'm not dead!"

"Yes, I know. Thank god for that," Kagome said, stroking his cheek.

"Yay, chalk another one up to the good guys," Souta said, shuffling out of bed. "At this rate, your vision will never come true, Kagome. Now I'll let you two celebrate another victory while I steal the shower first."

He traipsed into the bathroom and the couple looked at each other.

"He really doesn't know that there's only really one victory left to win," Kagome said with a depressed sigh. "But I'll tell him all about it after school. I hate keeping him out of the loop. He's always been with me through everything."

"Yeah, I agree," Inuyasha said with a nod.

Kagome looked around the room for a minute, adjusting to the idea that they had another month to work with. And that, for now anyway, life went on. "Well, I suppose I should get back to my room and get ready for, of all things, school."

"Yeah," Inuyasha replied sarcastically. "Wouldn't want to miss that."

"See you at breakfast, Inuyasha," Kagome said, giving him a lingering kiss before gathering her stuff and heading out the door.

..:V:..

"Soooo, we're still on for this weekend, right?" Miroku broached the subject Thursday at lunch.

"Yeah, totally," Inuyasha confirmed. "I asked my brother and he even agreed to letting everyone stay overnight if we weren't too loud after ten o'clock."

"That's awesome," Sango enthused. "Your brother rocks."

"Well, I wouldn't go so far as to say _that_," Inuyasha said quickly. "More like he has to go to a conference over the weekend and he wants someone to babysit Rin and the more bodyguards the better."

"Ah, ulterior motive," Miroku said knowingly.

"There's no other motive when it comes to my brother," Inuyasha retorted.

"And what is your brother going to do this weekend?" Miroku asked Kagome. "Is he staying here in the dorm alone?"

"Souta and Kohaku have a scheme to hang out this weekend at Sango's place," Kagome answered. "They seem awfully excited about it and I may have overheard plans of bothering some girls in their classes who live in the neighbourhood. But I refuse to assume any responsibility on that matter."

"Speaking of bothering neighbourhood girls, I remember when—"

"Whatever you did, I think I can safely say that no one here wants to hear about it, Miroku," Sango cut in. "I hereby declare this a PG table."

Miroku pouted but stayed silent. "Oh, fine… It was a great story too."

"Which probably ended with you in handcuffs," Inuyasha said, rolling his eyes.

"Oh please, I've never been in handcuffs in my entire life," Miroku snorted derisively.

"Doesn't mean you _shouldn't_ have been," Sango retorted.

"This is totally unjustified hostility," Miroku sniffed, picking up his tray and standing. "I'm going to go get ready for fourth period."

"Right behind ya, sex offender," Sango hassled, the rest of the group rising from the table as well.

"Aw, come on!"

..:V:..

"Listen Rin, you think that just because Sesshoumaru's away and I'm in charge, that I'm just going to let you dump that whole extra cup of melted butter all over the popcorn?"

Inuyasha and Rin stared each other down over the kitchen island. Rin tilted her head to the side at his question.

"Because you'd be absolutely right!" he continued, holding out the popcorn bowl. "Come on, load 'er up!"

The girl gleefully seasoned the snack as the others called for them to hurry up from the next room. "It's starting!" Kagome called.

The pair hastened out to the living room and found themselves seats as the opening scene started to play.

Inuyasha watched the movie unfolding before him, feeling a deeper emotion tug at him from inside. What was occurring onscreen was causing him to remember the pure joy he had felt from seeing the movie for the first time in theatres. It had felt larger than life to him, the greatest adventure. He remembered being overtaken by the desire to travel to Egypt and track down ancient tombs, unearthing all their secrets. He recalled that after having left the theatre, he had been blabbering on and on about the movie, thinking it had been the best thing he'd seen recently.

When he'd gotten home, he had ranted to his mother how much he'd loved the movie and she'd listened with a patient smile, saying the two of them would have to go see it together another time. Inuyasha smiled sadly at the memory, thinking how that would never happen now.

Next he frowned, however. Who had he gone to the movie with? His mother and father had stayed home. He cocked his head to the side as he thought about it.

_"...kidding me? Why do I…?"_

A snippet of a memory came back to Inuyasha and he slowly realized what he'd been forgetting. His brother had been with him that night.

"Sesshoumaru took me to see this movie," he said aloud without thinking.

The other heads in the room turned to look at him. "Really, Inuyasha? That's cool of him," Sango remarked.

"I don't think he wanted to…" Inuyasha said, trying to recall. "But I can't quite remember. I think my focus on the movie was so strong it overpowered the rest of the night."

"Understandable," Miroku shrugged. Turning his attention back to the movie, he winced as Rick O'Connell dodged what would have been a particularly painful blow. "This movie still rocks, even after six years."

"Yeah, it totally does," Inuyasha agreed. "Though it only feels like one year for me."

"Even better," Miroku enthused. "Less time between the awesome."

Inuyasha grinned at that — the first time someone had suggested there was an upside to losing five years of your life.

Still, as the rest of the movie played out, he wondered how he had forgotten that Sesshoumaru had been home from university a week before their parents' murders.

..:V:..

Inuyasha tossed and turned that night, unable to sleep. The group had decided to camp out on the living room floor, moving the furniture and spreading out their sleeping bags. Rin and the others had dozed off hours ago, but despite his efforts, Inuyasha couldn't follow their example.

Finally he quit trying and lay flat on his back, looking up at the darkened ceiling. The more he thought about the night he went to see the movie, the more it came back to him. It wasn't like his repressed memory of the night his parents were killed. It was just something he hadn't really thought about before, and forgotten about. But he was remembering it now.

Sesshoumaru had come home from university for the weekend, May seventh to ninth. Inuyasha had been waiting to see The Mummy for several months and it came out that Friday. His mother wanted Sesshoumaru to take him to see it Saturday night. He had overheard their conversation in the kitchen.

_"Are you kidding me? Why do I have to take the little runt? I've got plans tonight."_

_"Now, now, Sesshoumaru. Please just do this. He's been waiting months to see this movie."_

_"So you take him."_

_"Use a little nicer tone when speaking to me, please. And I would really appreciate it if you would take your little brother. The two of you should spend more time together."_

_"I'd rather spend the least amount of time with him as possible."_

_"Don't you think your childhood bickering has gone on long enough?" Her tone was exasperated. "You're twenty-one years old now, Sesshoumaru. Time to be the mature one and set this silly feud aside."_

_"Tch."_

_"Come on. Don't disappoint your younger brother. To you, he may only be your half-brother, but he's still family. Family's important. You and I may not be related by blood, but you know I consider you to be my son."_

_"I know that."_

_"Then extend your brother the same courtesy. If you lose touch with your brother now, you'll regret it down the line."_

_"It's one stupid movie, Mom. It's not like it going to miraculously salvage our relationship, no matter what you're hoping. We're never going to 'get along' and have some lame brotherly bond or something."_

_His mother sighed. "Then please just indulge me. You never know. You may think it's just a stupid movie, but it may be the start you need to begin mending bridges."_

_"But what about my plans tonight? I never get to see my high school friends except when I come home!"_

_"And you never get to see your brother except for these times too. I'm sorry, Sesshoumaru, but I'd really like you to do this. You can meet up with your friends tomorrow."_

_There was a tightly controlled tone to his voice that Inuyasha recognized to this day as Sesshoumaru veiling his anger. "Fine. This one time only. And for you, not him."_

As Inuyasha thought about it now, he remembered that the conversation hadn't bothered him too much back then. He knew Sesshoumaru hated him. That had always been true, no matter what his mother hoped for. But in the end, it meant he got to go see the movie he had been waiting forever for so all he felt that night was excitement.

And Sesshoumaru's foul mood as he drove him to the theatre didn't bother him either. He didn't say anything to Inuyasha on the way over, not even to insult him. But Inuyasha chose not to care. Enough of Sesshoumaru's disdain had already been thrown his way to last a lifetime.

As they alighted from the car, Sesshoumaru had whipped out his cellphone and dialled a number. Soon he was talking to one of the high school friends he was supposed to have hung out with that night.

_"Yeah, I have to babysit my half-brother," he was saying._

_Inuyasha winced. That "half" always stung, whether it was followed by brother or breed. It always meant he never fully belonged._

_"I don't know why I got stuck with the mutt — my mom wanted me to take him to see this movie. I'd much rather go out with you guys."_

_Inuyasha refused to be upset by that comment. Sesshoumaru said it so casually, as if he weren't even there. He reminded himself that he would also much rather if Sesshoumaru went out with his friends and his mother or father had taken him to the movie instead._

_As they approached the theatre, Sesshoumaru kept talking on his cell. "No, I didn't come down this morning… yeah, I got in early last night. And listen to this. I swung by my dad's work because he was working late — as always — the man's a robot! … ...Oh, because my mom wanted me to take him his dinner. … …Yes, yes," he rolled his eyes in annoyance. "My parents are flipping precious, now can I finish? Alright so instead of buzzing security, I decided to take it up to him myself— Yeah, I'm precious too, okay? Can you shut up now?_

_"Anyway I took it up myself — I like checking in on my future holdings every now and again. You know, to get a feel for the workers, and let them gaze on the face of their future Lord and Master," his tone began to brim with smugness. "Also, to scope out the best offices to see which one I'll take when I graduate... ..." the smugness disappeared with an eye roll. "No I can't take my father's office! ... ... Because he'll still be working, you asshat! ... ... No he won't retire! Have you _met_ the man? He'll probably work himself into his grave, and only then give up his hold on the company. If we're lucky." He chuckled darkly at a joke on the other end of the line._

_"But the whole point of this story was to say that it seems like my dad got a new intern in the office a little while ago," his tone turned to slyness. "She's still in college and for the time being, she's acting as an assistant to his secretary." A pause. "Oh, I'd definitely rank her as at least an eight. Personally, I'd even give her a nine, but then I go for smart corporate type chicks. They usually have something more between the ears than just fluff. And this girl's quick as a whip, let me assure you." He chuckled knowingly to something said on the other end of the line. "Well, let's just say that from now on, whenever I'm home, I may find more excuses to swing by the office and visit Daddy Dearest. There's even more reason to check out my future 'assets' now," he concluded with a very satisfied smirk._

_A second later, he blinked and glanced negligently over his shoulder at Inuyasha. "No, he hasn't wandered into traffic," adding snidely, "No I'm as shocked about it as you are!"_

After a few more exchanges of words, Sesshoumaru had ended his phone call and they had entered the theatre. They purchased some tickets before heading over to the concession stand. Sesshoumaru made a vague effort to be cordial.

_"Did you want a kiddy combo or something?"_

_Inuyasha glared up at him. "I'm twelve, not seven."_

_Sesshoumaru snorted. "Could have fooled me."_

_"I'll have a regular popcorn, thanks. And a coke."_

_"Hope you brought some money with you then."_

_"Argh! You're such a jackass!"_

_"Just remember it was never _my_ idea to bring you here. Don't expect me to be the big loving brother you've always wanted," he said mockingly._

_"No, don't worry about it," Inuyasha retorted. "I gave up on that idea a long time ago."_

With that, he had stormed up to the concession counter, Sesshoumaru staying strangely quiet behind him.

As Inuyasha thought back on it now, he remembered that as soon as the movie had started, all irritating thoughts of his brother had vanished. Their rude exchanges were nothing unusual — they happened constantly. But this night was about a movie he'd been wanting to see for a while. And it didn't disappoint. So whatever douchebag attitude Sesshoumaru was treating him with was easily brushed to the side, if only for the night.

They'd returned home pretty well without incident. Sesshoumaru seemed to have become less ticked off during the course of the movie, presumably being well enough entertained by it. He even let Inuyasha rant about it for a solid five minutes in the car before firmly telling him to shut up or walk home.

In the end, they arrived home much the same as how they'd left — not talking to one another. Their mother saw their cold distance as they reentered the house and sighed dejectedly. But she hadn't had that much time to lament it since Inuyasha immediately launched into a retelling of the movie, which Sesshoumaru had been too impatient to hear.

Inuyasha rolled onto his side in his sleeping bag, coming face to face with Rin. As he gazed upon her tiny face, he once again tried to reconcile the brother he knew with this selfless act of adoption. He once again found no answers.

He sighed and tried once more to find sleep, his mother's words about the importance of family bouncing around in his head.

..:V:..

The next morning, Kagome woke up slowly to find everyone save Inuyasha still asleep. In fact, the silver-haired boy was nowhere to be seen. She rubbed her eyes and wormed her way out of her sleeping bag before getting up to hunt for him.

After searching most of the house, she finally spotted him outside, of all places, perched on the railing of the back deck. She grabbed her boots from the front hall and headed out to speak with him.

She shivered as the winter air hit her and her boots crunched in the snow as she made her way towards him. "Oooh, jeez it's freezing! What are you doing out here, Inuyasha?"

He turned to look at her with a half-smile and she saw he was holding a mug of hot chocolate in his hands. "Hey, Kagome. I couldn't sleep."

Kagome frowned. "Why not?"

He took a sip of the drink and then passed the cup to her. She accepted it gratefully.

"I don't know," he said with a shrug. "First it was memories bothering me. Not _those_ memories—" he amended at her sharp look, "—but memories of when I saw The Mummy for the first time. Memories of my brother before the murders."

Kagome tried to see where this was going. "Was he different back then?"

Inuyasha was silent for a moment. "...Yeah. I guess he was. But still a jackass," he assured her quickly.

Kagome rolled her eyes. "I never had any doubt."

"Anyways, after that...I can't explain it, but I just felt awful."

"Awful? Why?"

"I… I—" he seemed to not know how to continue. "I don't know why, but I just...I just have a really bad feeling."

"There has to be a reason." Once again, she couldn't tell what he was getting at.

"I wish I could tell you. And that's almost what makes it worse. There's this dread building inside me, and I don't know for the life of me why. But I can tell you _what_ I'm dreading."

"What, Inuyasha?" She reached out a hand to lay on top of his.

"The door in my dream. The one I couldn't get to, and now the one I can't open. I don't know what made me think about it last night, but as soon as I did, I suddenly I couldn't bear the thought of falling asleep and facing it," he said with a shudder.

"I don't get it," Kagome said, her brow furrowing. "Is what's behind the door connected somehow to the night you went to the movies?"

Inuyasha shook his head. "I don't know. But that door...suddenly I _really_ don't want to open it anymore."

"But, Inuyasha—"

He cut in. "Up 'til now, I've always hesitated when I get to it and I think it's because I'm dreading what I'm going to find, no matter how important it is. Because somewhere deep inside I _know_ what's there and I don't want to see it again. I don't want to remember what I saw that night."

Kagome was silent for a moment before her hand closed around his and gave it a squeeze. "But you have to," she said softly.

Inuyasha sighed heavily. "I know I do. Because if I don't, I'll be dead in a month's time."

They stared out at the snowy backyard for a while before Kagome ventured to take a sip of the hot chocolate. She nearly spit it out once she did. "Inuyasha, this is cold! How long have you really been out here?"

He shrugged. "A while. I told you I couldn't sleep."

"Well, come on. Let's get you back inside before you get frostbite or something. I haven't been out here ten minutes and already my fingers are numb."

He ceded to her heckling and climbed down off the railing, draping an arm around her shoulders as they headed back inside.

..:V:..

The others rose one by one that morning and they cleaned up the living room. Sesshoumaru was due back in the evening so everyone stayed for the day, playing video games and watching two more movies. They went outside and played in the snow, helping Rin to make a proper snowman. If anyone noticed Inuyasha's distracted behaviour and forced cheerfulness throughout the day, they had the courtesy not to mention it. The worries from the previous night still plagued him, and the lack of sleep stole away his energy. But he carried on with the rest of them, and enjoyed the day despite himself.

They hastily cleaned the house to sparkling perfection before Sesshoumaru was expected to arrive back and had just flopped down on the couch when they heard him pull up in the driveway.

As he opened the front door, Rin rocketed to him, tackling his midsection with a gleeful shout. He absorbed the impact with ease, obviously being used to it by now. "Yes, yes, Rin — I'm glad to see you too."

Inuyasha found himself watching his brother's movements more than he ever had before. He scrutinized him as he pried himself free of Rin, as he hung up his jacket and took off his shoes, and as he turned to examine the house for dirt stains.

His brother _had_ changed since the murders. Maybe he hadn't noticed it because he'd never really known his brother to begin with. But his smug and carefree attitude of the past was gone now. His face was a cold mask. There was no way to know what he was thinking, unless it involved disdain or anger — but even those were carefully controlled. Really, if Inuyasha thought about it, the only time Sesshoumaru seemed like his old self was when he was openly insulting him.

For some reason the words of the nurse at the hospital came rushing back to him. _Just...empty. …like a shell_.

Eventually Sesshoumaru caught him staring at him and raised an eyebrow. "From a cursory glance, it seems you haven't destroyed the house in my absence. Further inspection may prove otherwise, however."

Inuyasha scoffed in response. "Yeah, 'heaven forbid' we leave a stray fingerprint lying around."

"Indeed," was all Sesshoumaru said in response and Inuyasha rolled his eyes. Whether or not he had changed, he was still impossible to deal with.

The four friends started to pack up their things and get ready to head back to the school for the night. Inuyasha kept sneaking looks back at Sesshoumaru, noticing how fondly he interacted with Rin. A strange pang hit him inside and he had no idea what it was. All he knew was that Sesshoumaru had never spoken to him like that, and likely never would. But that's how he wanted it, right? He hated the jerk, after all.

Inuyasha hoisted his overnight bag over his shoulder, feeling more confused than he'd felt in a while. And it didn't help that his feeling of dread was starting to overtake him again. It seemed to be tied to Sesshoumaru for some reason. Whenever his thoughts strayed to his brother, the feeling returned. But why?

The others took their bags out the front door to pack them into the awaiting limousine. Inuyasha deliberately dragged his heels as another thought started niggling at him. Sesshoumaru noticed his slowed steps and detached himself from Rin. He was about to say something when the questioning, unsure look in Inuyasha's eyes stopped him.

Hesitantly, Inuyasha began, "You know...Sesshoumaru… I was remembering last night about how you took me to see The Mummy…"

Something flickered behind Sesshoumaru's eyes. "That was a long time ago, brother," was all he said.

"We can go into how much you hated taking me and everything another time, but I was just wondering… You were talking on the phone that time with a friend. You mentioned a new intern in Dad's office. ...That was Kagura, wasn't it?"

Sesshoumaru passed a hand over his face like he was suddenly weary. "Yes, I suppose it was. Is there a point to this little dialogue?"

"Just one more question," Inuyasha promised with a hint of a smirk. "Is she still a 'nine' in your books?"

"What absurdity," Sesshoumaru snorted at this. "Now hurry up and get out to the limo. Your friends are waiting."

Inuyasha rolled his eyes. "Fine, fine. I'm going already."

"And Inuyasha?"

Inuyasha turned back in the doorway.

With a flat look, Sesshoumaru stated, "The woman is clearly a ten."

Inuyasha gave another smirk before heading out the door, but it slid away as soon as his back was turned. His anxiety had returned full force and this time he couldn't shake it off.

..:V:..

"Good night, Inuyasha."

"Good night, Souta," Inuyasha said, reaching up to turn off his bedside light.

He lay back on his pillow, feeling exhaustion sweep over him. The fact that he hadn't slept at all the night before was really catching up to him now. But at the same time, he knew what was waiting for him if he succumbed to sleep. He instinctively knew he would get his answer the next time he entered that dream. It scared him more than he wanted to admit.

But he needed to know.

_He needed to know._

The sound of a gunshot startled him and he frantically swiped at the red material covering his eyes.

"_INUTAISHO_!"

Scarlett faded to black and then...the corridor lay before him. His mother's voice urged him forward, "Run, Inuyasha, _run_!"

His feet started to move, pounding on the floor as he charged down the hall. He could hear his mother's ragged breathing match his own as she ran behind him.

And then the terrifying sound of someone chasing after them reached his ears. The weight of those harsh footfalls was chilling. A deep voice cried out, but Inuyasha's focus was on the front door ahead of him. He was sure if he could only reach it...he and his mother would have a chance of survival.

His heart thumped painfully in his chest and tears of sheer fright stung his eyes. The door, it was right there. How could it seem so close and yet so far away at the same time?

He slammed into it at an alarming speed. Frantically, he unbolted the lock and yanked at the door handle.

In his sleep, Inuyasha's brow furrowed. Hesitation would wake him, he knew. Hesitation could bring him out of this before he saw anything important. But hesitation couldn't hide the truth from him any longer.

Just as the door swung wide, two shots rang out and he was bowled over by a heavy weight. He chanced to do what he had not dared to before — look behind him.

His mother's body was pining his legs to the ground, two fresh bullet holes in her back. Her hair was splayed wildly around her, mixing with the rapidly spilling blood. She moved not an inch. Inuyasha's eyes were wide as his mind refused to process the scene before him. "M-Mom!"

The sound of a click made Inuyasha start and frantically wriggle himself out from under his mother. He launched himself to his feet and turned to dash out the door, only to hear another loud bang. The next thing he knew, he felt a searing pain in his back. A gasp for air stuck in his throat as he staggered a few more steps forward. He tripped on the front steps and crashed through the shrubberies to the side. Everything felt heavy. He wanted to get up and keep running, but his body wouldn't obey him. Pain racked his body. Something was horribly wrong.

Darkness began to seep into his vision and with it, fear. With great effort, he managed to raise his head slightly, but it was less than a second before his control slipped. He fell back into the grass once more with a soft thud. The last thing he saw before his sight faded to black was a dark car waiting at the end of his driveway with a startled woman inside…

Inuyasha awoke with a start, panting heavily and clutching his chest. His heart was beating wildly and his mind was racing. All he could see was that last image of his dream.

He kicked off his tangled sheets in the darkened dorm room, seething.

"Shit, shit, shit, shit, _shit_!" he cursed as he sat up, angrily swiping away the hair from his face. He pushed himself out of bed and stalked to the bathroom, indifferent to how loud his steps were. "What the hell! What the _hell_?" he demanded his reflection in the mirror.

He turned on the tap and splashed cold water on his face, scrubbing the skin raw. He looked up at himself again, calculating what to believe. "It can't be true, can it?"

The image of his seventeen year old self glared balefully back at him as if in admonishment. As if to say, "_you know better_."

There could be no mistake.

"_Dammit!_" Inuyasha kicked the wall in frustration. "_What was Kagura doing at my parents' house that night?_"

..:V:..

Kagome spotted Inuyasha walking briskly towards her in the hallway. He quickly swatted a Valentine's Day decoration out of his way, frowning as if it had no right in being there. But it _was_ Valentine's Day, Kagome mused to herself. The Student Council had littered the school with red, pink and white decorations, hanging from the ceiling and covering the walls. Apparently everyone really wanted to celebrate love this year.

Well, the Student Council anyway. Kagome had noticed more than one student glaring menacingly up at the decorations as if they were mocking them, judging them for being single. Kagome pondered for a moment at how Valentine's Day seemed to divide people into deliriously happy or hatefully bitter before her attention was drawn back to her own boyfriend charging up to her, looking none too happy himself.

"Hey, sorry I missed you at breakfast," she greeted him. "Sango insisted on me helping her pick out the perfect Valentine's Day outfit which of course made us beyond late. I myself had to thrown on whatever was closest at hand so I'm sorry if I haven't stunned you with the perfect dress today."

"Come with me," was all Inuyasha said, gripping her upper arm painfully and pulling her into an empty classroom. He shut and locked the door behind them before letting go of her arm.

She rubbed her arm as she looked more carefully at his face. There was barely controlled emotion there. "Inuyasha, what's wrong? What's going on?"

"It's Kagura! Kagura's going wrong! She's what's on!" he exploded suddenly.

Kagome blinked. "Come again? And maybe a little slower this time?"

"Kagura! She—she—!" He lapsed into fuming silence.

"Inuyasha, I don't understand. What is it about Kagura that's got you so upset?" Kagome reached out a calming hand to touch his arm.

He brushed her off and began to pace. "She was there! She was _there_."

"She was _where_?" Kagome asked in exasperation. "Please, I don't—"

"_SHE WAS AT MY HOUSE WHEN MY PARENTS' WERE KILLED!_" he yelled.

Kagome felt the blood drain from her face and her knees suddenly felt too weak to support her weight. In shock, she collapsed into one of the free seats. "K-Kagura? A-are you sure?"

"I _saw_ her. She was _there_."

Kagome felt a wave of heat rush through her body. This was too surreal. What was he saying? It couldn't be true. Kagura was their _friend_, she wanted them to catch the murderer as badly as they did. "This can't be right," she heard herself saying. "Kagura wouldn't… She's our friend, she helps us. She couldn't have—"

"—been lying to us this entire time?" Inuyasha supplied.

"I-I don't understand," her voice was weak and her head felt light. "What are you saying? That..._she_ killed your parents?"

Inuyasha frowned and continued to pace. "I've been thinking about it all morning. But I don't think it's possible. She was in the car, out on the road. She was the last thing I saw before I fell unconscious."

Kagome frowned to herself for a minute before responding, "And you were shot in the back, from inside the house… But...what does this mean?"

"There was more than one person involved in my parents' murder," Inuyasha said grimly.

"God." Kagome swallowed. "How is this possible? How could this be happening?"

"It's not happening, it _happened_. There were _two_ people there that night. Kagura's one of them. And she knows who the other one is."

"But...but... How could she deceive us all like this? She and your brother—"

Inuyasha felt a pang in his gut. "She's been lying to us. She must have been lying to him too. We can't trust anything she's told us."

"Nothing?" Kagome dropped in her head in her hands. "This is all too much. I don't even know what to think. And you're saying not only is Kagura involved somehow in your parents' death, but there were two people there that night all along? How could we have missed that?"

"How could we have known?" Inuyasha countered. "Maybe she just stayed outside in the car the whole time. There was never any evidence of another person in the house."

"There was hardly any evidence of even _one_ person in the house," Kagome reminded him. Then she blew out a breath in frustration. "But why? Why was she even _there_?"

"I don't know," Inuyasha answered. "But I intend to find out. We've been running around everywhere trying to find clues as to what happened that night. I've been trapped in the dark, struggling to remember what happened that night for an entire year now. There are so many questions. And all along, _she_'s had all the answers. It's time she gave them to us."

"What are you going to do?"

"_We_'re going to go see her after school today. They won't let us off campus until school lets out, but as soon as we're free, we're going straight to Western Enterprises," Inuyasha said, determined.

Kagome nodded slowly. "I can't believe it until I hear it straight from her mouth. The sooner we figure this out, the better."

"I'll call the taxi company at lunch so there's one waiting for us after school," Inuyasha said, heading for the classroom door. "Be ready to go as soon as the bell rings."

He unlocked the door and left without another word, leaving Kagome to try and think through all of what he'd just told her. She only moved when the next period started and a class started filing into the room. Even then her movements were mechanical and she exited the classroom woodenly, wondering how she was going to get through the rest of the day with a semblance of normalcy.

..:V:..

"Kagura, could you send those papers in from Friday's marketing meeting?" Sesshoumaru asked through the intercom on his desk.

"R-right away, sir."

A minute later, Sesshoumaru's office door slowly eased open and Kagura shuffled inside, hugging a portfolio to her chest. She slipped the document on the corner of his desk, though he didn't bother to look up from his writing. The door closed a moment later.

But a soft clearing of the throat alerted Sesshoumaru to the fact Kagura had not yet left. He looked up finally. He frowned at her dishevelled appearance. It was not so much that she had rumpled clothing or mismatched shoes or something of that sort. No, she was as impeccably dressed as ever. But the dark circles under her eyes bespoke of a lack of sleep. Her hair bore signs of her repeatedly fiddling with it, gradually pulling it out of its usually flawless french twist. And she was so restless lately that even the slightest movement could startle her.

Sesshoumaru put down his pen slowly. "Was there something else?" he asked softly.

Kagura's eyes flickered up to meet his for a brief second. "Yes..." She took a few steps farther into the room.

He scrutinized her for a moment. "Work related?"

She lifted her gaze once again, this time giving him an unwavering stare. She could speak volumes with those crimson eyes. Even across a crowded boardroom, a single glance between them had often been enough to synchronize their thoughts. He was familiar with the discreet request for a conference her eyes were now exuding.

Sesshoumaru rose from his chair and walked around his desk to come face to face with her. "What is it?"

She straightened her posture and steeled her voice. "I need to talk to you." She spoke the words softly, but the importance of each syllable was clear.

Sesshoumaru kept his silence, waiting for her to continue on her own. He crossed his arms and leaned back against his desk as if inviting her to speak.

She took a hesitant step forward and opened her mouth to talk. Then she seemed to think better of it and shook her head. "No… Not here."

He narrowed his eyes, calculating.

"I—please…" she didn't seem to know what words to use.

Despite himself, Sesshoumaru reached out a hand to lay on her shoulder. He felt a tremor underneath his palm and realized she was shaking ever so slightly. He straightened up from his desk and closed the distance between them. He gave her shoulder a reassuring squeeze and gazed intently into her eyes.

"Leave work early and pick Rin up after school. Take her to my house and wait for me there. Then, we can talk as much as you'd like," he told her in a no-nonsense tone.

She bit her lip and nodded, never breaking eye contact.

He looked down at her a moment longer, suddenly finding himself unable to pull away. As the moment stretched on, he felt her shaking slowly subside under his touch. When she'd stilled completely, she reached up to cover his hand with her own, smiling sadly. Sesshoumaru's expression softened as she interlaced their fingers and then urged his hand upwards. His fingertips traced the column of her neck lightly before his palm came to rest against her cheek.

Kagura closed her eyes, leaning into his touch as his thumb caressed her skin. When she opened them again, they were shining with an emotion that, for once, Sesshoumaru wasn't sure he could identify.

Before he could say or do anything else, she pulled away from him and made for the door. Looking back at the entranceway, she said softly, "I'll be waiting for you tonight," before disappearing from sight.

Sesshoumaru leaned back against his desk, reeling from what had just transpired. After a moment, he frowned slightly and looked down at the thumb with which he had stroked Kagura's cheek. He found a single teardrop glistening on the pad.

..:V:..

The bell rang shrilly throughout the school and Kagome grabbed her books and darted from her desk. Calculus was a terrible way to finish the school day, but she had more important things to worry about. She left the classroom as quick as humanly possible, vying to get to her locker in record time.

Despite her greatest efforts, Inuyasha was already waiting for her when she arrived. "How did you get here so fast?" she wondered aloud as she fiddled with the combination.

"Never mind that — just hurry up, Kagome! I want to get out of here," Inuyasha urged her.

"I know, I know. I'm going as fast as I can," she said, stuffing her books on the top shelf and hastily putting on her winter jacket. She grabbed her backpack off the hook and slammed her locker shut. "Okay, I'm ready. Let's go."

Inuyasha grabbed her hand and pulled her along after him. "I can't believe I had to wait all day for this," he said.

"I still can't believe this is really happening," Kagome responded. "I'm pretty sure I didn't hear a word that was said in all my afternoon classes. None of this makes any sense!"

"I agree, but I know what I saw was real," Inuyasha told her firmly.

"But _why_? Why would Kagura—" Kagome suddenly felt the breath rush out of her and her vision snap away from her.

A bloodied woman was coming towards her, clutching her side. "Stop…" she begged, reaching out a hand. "Please…"

Kagome felt abject fear seep through her as she recognized the very woman they were headed to see.

She could only watch helplessly as Kagura was suddenly flung away, her head snapping back. Kagome felt as if she were being punched in the gut as the older woman crashed through a glass coffee table.

She tried to reach out her hands to help, but to her horror they wrapped around Kagura's throat instead. Kagura tried to claw furiously at the arms holding her down, but she stood no chance. In a matter of seconds, her efforts weakened and soon after, she went limp, her eyes rolling back in her head.

"Kagome, come on! Hurry up, let's get going already."

Inuyasha's voice came crashing in, awakening Kagome to reality. She stared at him for a moment with wide eyes before jumping into action. She gripped his wrist and reversed their positions, dragging him insistently behind her.

"Come on, Inuyasha! We have to go _now_. There's no time to lose!"

Inuyasha gave the back of her head a confused look. "That's what I've been saying…"

"Kagura's in danger!" she told him frantically over her shoulder.

"Kagura? Wha—?"

"I just had a vision, Inuyasha! She's about to be attacked!"

Inuyasha felt his stomach drop. "What? By who?"

"I don't know! But I know where. I recognized the coffee table and the room she was in," Kagome said, sure of herself.

"Where is it?" Inuyasha asked, keeping pace with her now.

"Your brother's house! In his living room!"

Inuyasha's face blanched. "W-what the hell?"

They finally reached the school doors and rushed through them. They spotted the taxi they'd called earlier and ran towards it. Jumping inside, they gave the driver Sesshoumaru's house address and told him to step on it.

Kagome twisted the hem of her shirt in her hands. That terrifying vision was still in her mind's eye. The image had faded from her sight and yet she could still remember every detail, every expression Kagura had made. It was so real. So real she couldn't shake the feeling of utter dread within her.

But she had saved Sango before. She would save Kagura too.

"In my brother's house?" Inuyasha was muttering. "Why—what…? Y-you're certain, Kagome?"

"I wish I weren't," Kagome said shortly.

"Bloody hell," Inuyasha cursed, raking a hand through his hair. "What's going on?"

As soon as the taxi rolled up in front of Sesshoumaru's house, they jumped out and dashed up to the house.

Kagome stopped short on the landing, gripping Inuyasha's arm hard. "Inuyasha…" she said, indicating the door. It was ajar.

Inuyasha pushed her behind him and steeled himself. He nudged the door open and cautiously proceeded within, Kagome at his back.

The entranceway seemed undisturbed, everything in its place. As he passed, Inuyasha noticed the security alarm was disarmed. They couldn't hear a sound as they made their way down the hallway, coming ever closer to the living room.

When they finally turned the corner, it was like stepping into another world. The room lay in ruin. It was hard to recognize it for what it once was, since it had obviously been the scene of a recent and violent altercation. The couch was overturned, along with one of the sitting chairs. Knick-knacks and family photos lay dashed on the floor, having been knocked from their usual resting places. A vase was broken, its fragments strewn across the floor.

The large flat screen TV bore a circular cracked pattern, blood seeping away from the point of impact. More blood lay splattered erratically about the room, occasionally smeared by the struggle.

But everything noted was peripheral, none of these details could capture their attention. There was only one point of focus in the room. Their eyes were locked onto what had once been the coffee table, and was now only shattered remains.

And there, kneeling in the crushed glass, was Sesshoumaru, cradling Kagura's body in his arms.

They were too late.

Inuyasha gulped at the sight of his brother's bloodstained hands, hardly trusting his eyes to believe it. "S-Sesshoumaru… What have you done?"


	18. What Tangled Webs We Weave

Disclaimer: I'm not Rumiko Takahashi, but I'm living in the same country as her. The degrees between us are becoming less and less. One day I will overtake her existence entirely… *cough* I mean, I have absolutely no connection to her or any of her works. What's with that funny look?

A/N Hey guys! I'm SO sorry it's been so long since the last update. I actually had NO idea that much time had passed! I just got so wrapped up with living in Japan and stuff - my summer exploded with activity and I didn't have a ton of free time. My fall was pretty busy too, and then I went home for Christmas. I finally got back and decided I really needed to get working on the next chapter. And that's when I realized how effing long it had been since the last one! I'm really really sorry!

Here's the next chapter in this baby of mine. We're starting to narrow in on the ending now...

* * *

"So let me get this straight," police captain Aoyama said, staring at two of his detectives from across his desk. His elbows were propped on the desk, his chin resting in his folded hands. "We've got Sesshoumaru Reijiro, CEO of Western Enterprises, arrested and in our custody for the murder of his secretary, Kagura Ishitaru?"

Detectives Barazawa and Takeda shared a look. "That's correct, sir," the former replied.

"Jesus Christ," he said, passing a hand over his face. "What the hell exactly happened?"

"Well, sir, our boys responded to a 911 call from the suspect's brother, stating that the victim was dead in Sesshoumaru's house," Barazawa supplied.

"So the boy was on the scene? He's a witness to the whole affair?"

"Er, no. It seems he arrived after the fact with his girlfriend."

"Apparently they came for a visit and found Sesshoumaru with the body," Takeda added.

"So she was already dead?"

"Seems that way."

"And Sesshoumaru was the only other one there?"

"Yes…"

Aoyama sighed. "What was the situation when you two arrived on the scene?"

"Well, sir, everything was pretty chaotic…"

When Barazawa and Takeda had pulled up in front of the Reijiro household earlier that evening, it was to see two other police cars out front and yellow tape already being put up to block off curious neighbours.

They got out of their car and approached another pair of officers doing the same. "What have we got?" Barazawa asked.

"Sorry, Lieutenant — don't rightly know myself. We just got here. Oshiro was the first on the scene from what I understand, but it's only been twenty minutes since the call came in. They certainly called you in fast."

Barazawa grunted. "Can you blame them? The Reijiro family is extremely high profile and the second violent crime involving them in six years bears some top brass scrutiny."

Barazawa and Takeda left the officers to deal with the growing crowd of onlookers to enter the house.

It wasn't a pleasant sight.

If a tornado had ripped through the room, it could hardly look worse. The entire room was a mess and a forensic nightmare. He wished the unit luck with sorting through the evidence.

By far the worst sight was that of Sesshoumaru Reijiro clutching the body of a once very attractive but now unpleasantly strangled dead woman. She had clearly been beaten badly before her death, but looked to have put up a terrific fight. They'd know more once the coroner arrived, of course.

In the meantime, Barazawa wondered why no one had separated the man from the body. He looked over to Oshiro who seemed to be trying to blend into the corner rather than take charge of the situation. He sighed. Rookies.

He nodded to Takeda, his junior partner, and they set about dividing and conquering. Takeda approached the two teenagers hovering nearby and Barazawa walked towards Sesshoumaru, careful to avoid stepping on any evidence.

"Mr. Reijiro? Mr. Reijiro, I'm Detective Barazawa. Can I ask you to step away from the body, sir?"

Sesshoumaru's eyes snapped up to glare at him. Despite the blankness of his expression, a million indiscernible emotions seemed to be swimming in those golden eyes. One emotion Barazawa could discern was that of anger. Unbridled fury. This is a dangerous man when provoked, he thought in the back of his mind.

Did that anger lead to the tragedy he saw before him?

"Sir, I know this is difficult, but I need to ask you to step away from the woman. And I need you to tell me what happened here."

Sesshoumaru started to speak, but still refused to relinquish his hold. "She...she wanted to speak with me. She just wanted to talk…"

Barazawa frowned, not really sure what to make of this. "Did things get out of hand? Did she tell you something that started an argument?"

Sesshoumaru swallowed hard and clenched his teeth. He was being careful to keep his emotions in check. An odd bit of self control under the circumstances, Barazawa thought.

"I...I never… Before I even...she was already dead," Sesshoumaru trailed off.

Before I even knew what I'd done, she was already dead, Barazawa filled in the blanks to himself.

"She was just… She left from the office just over an hour ago… I was going to meet her here after she… after she…" Sesshoumaru's eyes snapped up to the detective as horror took over his expression. "Rin!"

Barazawa was at a loss. But before he could react, Sesshoumaru had laid the dead woman on the floor and sprung to his feet. Almost frantically, he circled the room, searching. "Rin? Rin!" he called out, checking under the sofa and behind the TV set.

Takeda and the teenagers had stopped talking in the hallway. The girl and boy actually broke away to help search.

"Sesshoumaru — Rin...she can't be here, can she?" the girl asked in horror. The boy seemed equally shocked by the idea.

"Kagura was supposed to pick her up from school and bring her back here with her," Sesshoumaru replied abruptly.

For the moment, all else was forgotten. Everyone in the room continued to search for the missing girl. It came to a head when Sesshoumaru walked opposite the entrance to the living room to a hall closet. He opened it to reveal a brown-haired girl of no more than eight years old.

Barazawa swore under his breath.

The girl looked traumatized. It was written all over her face that she had witnessed everything that had happened in that living room.

"Rin? Rin!" Sesshoumaru said urgently.

The girl's blank look finally shifted into one of recognition. She looked at the man before her and only a moment passed by before she flung herself into his arms. Tears started to leak out of her eyes, but she buried her face into his shoulder.

"I'm here, Rin, I'm here," Sesshoumaru soothed, hugging her to him.

"Holy hell," Captain Aoyama interrupted Barazawa's story. "You found his adoptive daughter hiding in the closet? She'd seen everything?"

"It appears that way, sir," Takeda said.

Aoyama raised an eyebrow. "'Appears'?"

"She, uh, isn't talking at the moment."

"But she will be soon?"

Takeda coughed and looked to his senior partner.

"It seems she's gone mute, sir," Barazawa supplied.

"I'm sorry, mute?"

"Apparently it's happened before. The girl witnessed her parents' murder too, and stopped talking at the time. Sesshoumaru, who adopted her later, was the one to get her to open up at the time. Now that she's witnessed this new tragedy, she, well...has regressed back into silence. We can't get a word out of her, nor can Sesshoumaru. She's with our psychologist now."

"My god… This kid's been through hell." He sighed and looked down for a moment at his desk, processing all the information. "Okay. What happened next?"

Takeda shrugged. "Not much to tell after that. The coroner arrived. Said she'd died from strangulation in the past hour. We wanted to ask Mr. Reijiro some more questions, but he became extremely uncooperative. We had to cuff him and bring him down to the station."

"As the lead suspect?"

Takeda snorted. "Can there be any question he did it? There wasn't much time for anyone else to do the deed."

"I'm not so sure," Barazawa spoke up.

"You don't think he did it?" Aoyama asked sharply.

"I didn't say that. He certainly is the obvious suspect. But I sure as hell would like to know why."

"He's waiting for you in the interrogation room, I suppose?"

"Yes, sir. His brother, his girlfriend, and the adoptive daughter all came down to the station too. The little girl is with our psychologist and the teens are waiting by our desks," Takeda supplied.

"What did the kids have to say about it all?"

"Not much more than we've already told you. Said they came to visit Sesshoumaru and Rin after their school let out. Came in to see the living room torn up and Sesshoumaru holding the body. They called 911 right after."

Aoyama frowned. "They go to some fancy boarding school, don't they? Odd they'd rush over for a visit on a Monday…"

"And if they did, you would think Sesshoumaru would know they were coming," Barazawa added thoughtfully.

"Not really safe circumstances under which to commit a murder," Takeda concluded.

"We'll look into it, sir," Barazawa assured the police captain.

Aoyama nodded and stood up. "Alright, better get down to business. This could be a long night, boys."

The detectives agreed and proceeded to exit the captain's office.

"How do you want to do this?" Takeda asked his partner.

"Sesshoumaru'll be a hard nut to crack," Barazawa said thoughtfully. "Better if we tackle him together. But let's see if we first can't get some more information out of his brother and his girlfriend."

Takeda nodded in agreement and they made their way over to their desks.

Upon seeing them approach, the boy sprang from his chair. "What's going on? Can we see my brother yet?"

"Why don't we go into that conference room and talk?" Barazawa suggested kindly.

The teens grabbed their coats and followed them promptly.

Once they were all settled, Barazawa folded his hands on the table in front of him. "So tell me what you were doing there tonight."

"But we already—" Inuyasha started, gesturing to Takeda.

"I know, but please. Humour me. I always appreciate first-hand accounts," Barazawa said with a kind smile.

Takeda shook his head inwardly. His partner was a pro. He knew he trusted Takeda's version of events perfectly, but by acting like he trusted no one's account but their own, he garnered their respect and admiration. It made them open up much more easily.

As expected, the teens relaxed. "We were just going over for a visit," Inuyasha said after a beat of hesitation. "He is my brother after all."

Barazawa narrowed his eyes. Did he detect a lie, or were they just nervous? "On a Monday?"

Inuyasha shrugged and his girlfriend took over. "You see, we had just been there on the weekend for a visit and I forgot my toothbrush. We were going back to get it and thought we'd stay for dinner. But...but we didn't imagine that…" her speech stuttered off.

Barazawa tilted his head, assessing them. He couldn't help but feel the girl had a silver tongue. Inuyasha was acting hesitant and defensive, but she was as smooth and casual as could be. Almost against his judgement, he felt himself believing her.

They were the ones who called the police, he reminded himself. But then he caught sight of Inuyasha's expression. It looked torn. Inuyasha looked to his girlfriend and they seemed to have a silent conversation with their eyes. It only lasted a moment, but they seemed to have conveyed a great deal. When they looked away from each other, resolution was set in both their faces.

"Actually…" Inuyasha started, then paused, unsure of how to say what he wanted to. "I, well… It wasn't his house we were going to, and my brother wasn't who we wanted to see."

Takeda raised his eyebrows. This was certainly different from what they'd said earlier. He couldn't imagine what they were going to say next.

"You know...about what happened to my parents and I six years ago?" Inuyasha ventured. The two detectives nodded. "And about my amnesia when I woke up last year?" Again they nodded. "Well, I've been trying to remember what I saw that night for the past couple months. Last night, I uh...remembered something big."

Barazawa leaned in, clearly intrigued. "Go on."

"Well...it was Kagura. I remembered seeing her the night my parents were killed," he said it quickly, like ripping off a bandaid.

"Seeing her? As in she was the one who shot you and your parents?" the detective chose his words carefully.

"No...I don't think so. But she was there, at the house. I saw her in a car at the end of the driveway just before I blacked out. She wasn't the one who did it, but she was involved, don't you see? At the very least, she covered it up and lied about being there. At the worst, she was a knowing and willing accomplice. She's the reason my parents' murderer was never caught!" Inuyasha fumed.

Barazawa shared a look with Takeda. "And what were you planning on doing with this new information?"

"Confront her, of course. Demand some answers."

"Don't you think you should've come straight to the police first? You didn't think about things getting ugly?"

Inuyasha started to open his mouth, but was stopped by Kagome's hand on his arm.

Curse that girl, Barazawa thought to himself. She's like a lawyer, stopping her client just before he incriminates himself.

"First we wanted Sesshoumaru's opinion," she answered for him. "That's why we went to his house first. We knew he'd have to bring Rin home after school so we went to talk to him there. After that, we planned on going to Western Enterprises and confronting Kagura herself. She was our main objective that night. But really, we owed it to Sesshoumaru…" she trailed off and promptly shut up.

The corner of Barazawa's lips quirked, too small for anyone to notice. The girl had finally slipped up and given him something to work with. "Owed it to Sesshoumaru? In what way?"

He noticed the way Kagome looked apologetically at her boyfriend. Inuyasha sighed and looked at the detective, as if begging for understanding. "They well… We think, anyway, that they...cared for each other."

"Who? Sesshoumaru and Kagura?"

Reluctantly, the pair nodded.

"So you're telling me that you were going to Sesshoumaru's house to tell him about how the woman he had feelings for had actually been involved in your parents' deaths?"

They didn't respond, but that was answer enough. Looks like Barazawa had found his motive and it was a doozy.

"But we never told him!" Inuyasha protested to the look on the detective's face. "We got there and she was already…"

"I'm not going to lie to you, kid," Barazawa said grimly as he stood up. "It doesn't look good for your brother. Even if you didn't tell him, it doesn't mean he didn't find out some other way. And then take matters into his own hands."

"You don't understand!" Inuyasha refuted, springing to his feet as well. "My brother is not a murderer. He didn't do this!"

"What makes you so certain?" Takeda asked.

Inuyasha glared at him in silence for a few moments before responding. Frowning, he ventured, "He...he doesn't hurt people he cares about. He protects them." He looked like he had a bad taste in his mouth by admitting this.

The detectives told them to sit tight as they headed for the door. Before they exited, Takeda turned back and posed the question, "What if he were protecting you?"

..:V:..

"What if he's right?" Kagome burst out nervously a few minutes after the detectives had left. "What if Sesshoumaru found out somehow about Kagura and lost control and wanted to protect you and avenge your parents' deaths all in one fell swoop?"

"What, and just forget about Rin? Either he picked her up himself or he had Kagura do it, or they did it together. Since he completely forgot about her in the wake of Kagura's death and had no idea where in the house she was, which of those seems most likely?" Inuyasha retorted.

"True, true," Kagome assented, biting a nail. "This is just all so...crazy! And nerve-wracking. And unbelievably terrifying. But you yourself said, Inuyasha, when we walked in the house — 'Sesshoumaru, what have you done?' Did you not believe then that he had done it?"

"Well, who wouldn't under those circumstances!" Inuyasha said. "It could have been some sort of self defence thing, or something else gone terribly wrong. But they're talking cold blooded murder. There's no way Sesshoumaru would do that. Not to Kagura."

"Even though she…?"

"He didn't do it, Kagome."

They lapsed into silence once again.

..:V:..

"Sesshoumaru Reijiro," Takeda said, dropping a file folder on the interrogation table and pulling up a chair.

"Can we get you anything?" Barazawa asked, staying near the door.

"My daughter."

"She's with our psychologist now. She's in good hands. But we need to ask you a few questions before you can see her, Mr. Reijiro. Now, is there anything else I can get you?"

"A coffee. Black," Sesshoumaru replied despondently, looking at neither one of them.

Barazawa ducked out of the room as Takeda started to look through the file.

"You're quite the entrepreneur. At twenty-six, you've really made quite a name for yourself."

"If you're trying to flatter and butter me up, your attempt is noted but ineffective. It was my father's company. I merely filled his shoes after his death. His murder, I should say." His response was flat and automatic. His mind was clearly elsewhere.

"I'd say you did more than fill his shoes. Western Enterprises has expanded greatly in the six years since you took over. Its stocks alone are worth fortunes." Takeda leaned forward, noticeably impressed.

Finally Sesshoumaru's gaze slid to meet his. There was no emotion displayed there, but his voice was frosty. "Exactly what does this have to do with Kagura's death?"

"She was apart of this great company. Presumably she helped in some way to get it this big. How long did she work for you?"

"My father hired her before he was killed. She was still in university at the time."

"That's awfully young for such an important position. Younger than you, even. And no experience. What would make your father hire such a person?"

Sesshoumaru gave a slight shrug. "Presumably he saw something in her. Potential. And she wasn't given the position she has now. She had a lower secretarial job at the time. Assistant to the assistant."

"And when you took over, you promoted her?"

"I didn't work well with my father's assistant. Kagura was efficient, competent and a hard worker. I trusted her to do a good job. So I shifted personnel and arranged to have Kagura be my executive assistant. I've never regretted it." Sesshoumaru narrowed his eyes, trying to discern where these questions were leading.

"So you...trusted her. Was it anything more than that?"

Sesshoumaru's eyes met his sharply. A moment of silence passed before the door opened and Barazawa returned with his coffee. Sesshoumaru took it from him slowly, never looking away from Takeda.

Sesshoumaru took a sip and placed the cup on the table. "I'm assuming what you're clumsily trying to get at with that question is…"

"Did you have a personal relationship with Kagura? One that extended beyond the boardroom?" Takeda spelled it out clearly, checking closely for his reaction.

He was disappointed. Sesshoumaru merely took another sip of his coffee. Setting it back down, he replied simply, "No, we did not."

Takeda raised an eyebrow. "But surely—"

"Kagura often did me favours that extended beyond her job specifications," Sesshoumaru clarified. "She sometimes managed matters in my personal life, such as picking my daughter up from school, or dropping off business papers to my house. We also exchanged Christmas gifts. But no, we were never more intimate than that."

Takeda let a moment of silence pass before he asked, "Did you want to be?"

Sesshoumaru stared him down until Takeda involuntarily found himself looking away. He inwardly cursed himself for losing the power struggle.

Sesshoumaru replied anyway, however. "I respected Kagura more than any other woman in the world. But now...I have no way of knowing where our relationship would have led. It's...too late now." The calmness in his voice was belied by the tightness of his jaw. It didn't slip by the detectives unnoticed.

"Let's change the subject for the moment," Barazawa broke in, crossing behind Takeda. "What do you remember about your parents' death?"

"Everything of course. Which is to say nothing. I wasn't there that night and the police weren't able to find who did it. All I have to go on are second-hand reports of ghosts and shadows. The sole survivor of the incident can't even remember anything."

"Your brother," Barazawa supplied.

"That's right. But I don't see what that has to do with what happened to Kagura," Sesshoumaru said acidly.

"I'm surprised to hear you say that. I think it has everything to do with it," Barazawa shot back.

Sesshoumaru's eyes narrowed. "Explain."

Barazawa slammed his hands on the table. "No, it's you who should explain! Explain how you found out about Kagura's involvement in your parents' murder! Explain how you reacted! Explain—"

"Enough," Sesshoumaru seethed, rising to his feet. "Kagura had nothing to do with my parents' death. Do you always drag victims' good names through the mud just to rile a suspect? I applaud you for your excellent detective work then. You're simply full of integrity," he sneered.

Barazawa looked to Takeda. An unspoken message passed between them before they both nodded in agreement. Takeda stood up and they made for the door.

"Hang tight, Mr. Reijiro," Barazawa said before leaving. "We'll be back in a bit. In the meantime, we'll let you see a visitor. Oh, and you were wrong about one thing."

"What's that?" Sesshoumaru asked coldly as he resumed his seat.

"Your brother does remember something about that night."

Sesshoumaru looked sharply towards the door, but the detectives were already gone.

..:V:..

"Has something new happened? When can I see my brother?" Inuyasha asked anxiously when the detectives reentered the interview room he was sharing with Kagome.

"Now, actually. Just you, though," Barazawa added as both teens made to rise.

"Why?" Inuyasha asked suspiciously.

"We want you to tell him what you told us. About seeing Kagura the night of your parents' murder. He's acting like she's a saint and shut down as soon as we indicated otherwise. I don't know if it's a bluff or not, but at least he'll have to stop pretending once you tell him straight."

Inuyasha looked uncertain. "Is it...is it necessary to tell him now that she's dead? Can't he just keep thinking…?"

"We need the truth, kid," Barazawa said, shaking his head. "You can help us get there, can't you?"

Kagome laid a hand on Inuyasha's arm. "You know you need to tell him. You'd never be able to keep it from him anyways."

Inuyasha nodded reluctantly. "Okay, I'll do it. Which way?"

"Follow us," Takeda said, leading him out of the room. "And just so you're aware, we'll be watching your entire conversation."

Kagome looked anxiously after them.

..:V:..

Sesshoumaru looked up to see Inuyasha entering the interrogation room.

"Hey, Sesshoumaru," he said as greeting, his eyes only ever meeting his brother's for a second before flitting away again.

"Hello, brother," Sesshoumaru replied, suddenly looking more weary than Inuyasha had ever seen him. It occurred to him that he was relaxing and letting down his guard.

"They're still watching us," Inuyasha felt compelled to warn him.

"And why shouldn't they?" Sesshoumaru answered ironically. "They must be thrilled to pin a murder on the CEO of Western Enterprises."

"I think they're okay," Inuyasha said hesitantly. "They just want to get at the truth."

"The 'truth' of how and why I killed my secretary?"

"I don't think you did it!" Inuyasha interjected. "...I know you didn't do it. No matter what anybody thinks."

Sesshoumaru regarded him thoughtfully for a minute. "Well, I'm glad you think my immorality as a human being stops just short of cold-blooded murder," he responded dryly.

"This isn't a joke," Inuyasha snapped. "And pissing me off isn't going to get you anywhere."

"I'm not laughing," Sesshoumaru responded, deadly serious. "And just why is it that they let you in here, anyway?"

Inuyasha's gaze lost its heat as he looked away. "I have to tell you something." At Sesshoumaru's sceptical look, he added, "They think you'll only believe it if you hear it from me."

Sesshoumaru glanced at the two-way mirror before looking back to his brother. "Well, what is it?"

Inuyasha shifted uncomfortably, not knowing where to begin. "I… As you know, I've been trying to remember what happened that night. The night our parents were killed and I was put in the coma… I've been trying to surround myself with stuff that I did or had just before it happened. It's been working, sort of. I kept dreaming of that night, and running down the hallway towards the front door. But I could never reach it. And then I did reach it, but I couldn't open it. I always hesitated and woke up first."

Sesshoumaru's attention was clearly captured. He faced his brother fully and didn't utter a word to interrupt. This gave Inuyasha the courage to go on.

"You remember that I told you we watched The Mummy while at your house over the weekend. You know, the movie you took me to see the weekend before it happened. All this time that I've been awake, I never remembered that it was you who took me to see it. I thought about that night a lot this weekend. I remembered how you didn't want to take me, but Mom forced you. And like I told you, I remembered how you were talking on the phone to your friend about meeting Kagura at Dad's office."

"Where is this leading?" Sesshoumaru finally cut in.

Inuyasha knew he was taking the roundabout route, but he was really dreading telling Sesshoumaru what he knew he had to. "Well, I think remembering that stuff helped trigger more memories. Or it helped me identify and overcome the fear I felt at opening that door in my dream. Whatever it was, even though I dreaded doing it, I finally went through it."

Sesshoumaru frowned. "The door? And?"

"And well...something I never wanted to see was on the other side," Inuyasha replied evasively. "First, well...I heard Mom get shot. She fell on me, pinning my legs. I looked back to see she...was dead."

Sesshoumaru clenched his hands together. After a marked pause, he asked, "And then?"

"I got free and kept trying to escape. But then...I got a bullet in the back," Inuyasha swallowed thickly as he remembered the pain ripping through him.

"Inuyasha, you don't have to—" Sesshoumaru cut himself off, watching Inuyasha's set expression. "...Is that all you remember?"

Inuyasha's remorseful eyes raised to meet his. "No… I stumbled on the front porch and fell into the garden bushes to the side. As I was...falling unconscious, I noticed a car at the end of the driveway. Someone was inside."

Several things clicked in Sesshoumaru's head and he pushed himself away from the table, standing up. "No. Don't you dare tell me—"

"It was Kagura," Inuyasha said, a tone of finality in his voice.

In a rare display of emotion, Sesshoumaru kicked over his chair. "Impossible!"

Inuyasha watched in silence as his brother furiously paced back and forth. After a moment, he spun around to face him again. "You're sure, brother? Absolutely sure? It was actually your memory and not just a dream?" There was a desperate tone to his voice and his eyes gleamed with such intensity, Inuyasha's words caught in his mouth.

He'd never seen his brother like this. He would rather endure a thousand insults from him than watch as he pleaded for different version of the story. He seemed like he would be willing to believe anything as long as it exonerated Kagura. Finally, Inuyasha managed to whisper, "Do you want me to lie to you?"

Inuyasha saw something in Sesshoumaru's eyes break and suddenly there was no emotion to be read in them at all. They were just glassy and cold. His brother mechanically picked up his chair from the floor and sunk into it. After another minute of silence, he uttered, "She betrayed me… She betrayed us..."

Inuyasha didn't know what to say. He wasn't sure there was anything he could say. He was still feeling the sting of betrayal himself. He didn't know how to make it less intense for Sesshoumaru. They had trusted her. She had become part of their family when they had lost the rest of it. She supported and encouraged them.

Inuyasha felt a surge of rage when he remembered how she'd comforted him and assured him he would remember some day and catch the scum who had done this to him and his parents. Were they really all lies just meant to keep them off her trail? Had she meant none of it? Could a person truly be so cold-hearted, acting concerned to your face and laughing sadistically behind your back?

Inuyasha was sure all these thoughts and more were running through Sesshoumaru's head as they sat across the table from one another. As it was, they had both lapsed into silence and neither were likely to break it for quite some time.

The door to the interrogation room opened quietly and the two detectives entered. Detective Barazawa nodded to Inuyasha and indicated he should follow him. They exited the room as Detective Takeda started to sit down in the vacant seat. Sesshoumaru never even looked up.

"Good job, Inuyasha," Barazawa praised him as they walked down the hall. "I know it was hard news to deliver, but he needed to know."

"Do you really still believe he killed her?" Inuyasha asked defiantly.

Barazawa didn't respond.

"It's totally ludicrous," Inuyasha continued. "He really cared about her, maybe even loved her! He didn't even know that she was apart of my parents' murder. And he would have had to know Rin was in the house, and he would never have killed someone with her there. Not to mention he'd never do something like that, period!"

When Barazawa appeared unmoved, Inuyasha pushed desperately, "Don't you see it's impossible?"

Barazawa sighed and turned to him. "I only see the facts, kid. I admit you raise some strong points, but it's just not enough to exonerate him at this point. We need some more evidence."

"Then stop wasting your time here and go out and find some!" Inuyasha said huffily before stomping back to the conference room where Kagome waited.

Barazawa watched him get back inside before he turned back towards the interrogation room. Instead of entering the room where Sesshoumaru and Takeda were, he went into the adjoining room where he could watch them through the two-way glass. Captain Aoyama was already there. They nodded to each other before turning to watch the interrogation.

Takeda had just dropped a clear evidence bag on the table between them. Inside was a decorative hairpin, slightly stained with the victim's blood.

Slowly Sesshoumaru reached forward to grasp it. He fingered it almost lovingly for a moment before shoving it back towards the detective.

"Do you recognize that hairpin?" Takeda questioned.

Sesshoumaru gave a slight scoff. "Of course. I gave it to her for Christmas."

Takeda nodded thoughtfully. "So your brother told us. It's a very beautiful gift."

He didn't reply.

"It clearly shows your affections for her. You had grown close to her. Let her into your life, gave her responsibilities beyond her job requirements. She meant a lot to you."

Sesshoumaru pursed his lips. "Obviously. But now I learn she was playing me this whole time. It doesn't inspire a lot of affection, detective."

"You must have felt angry."

"I can see why you got the job," he replied snidely.

"Did you want revenge?"

Sesshoumaru's expression slipped into one of impatience at having to deal with someone of inferior intelligence. "Unfortunately, she was already dead when I learned the news in this very room from my brother. A little too late for me to fly into a homicidal rage and kill my secretary in my own living room."

"So you're saying you really had had no idea of Kagura's involvement in your parents' murder?" Takeda pressed.

"None," Sesshoumaru answered, sitting back in his chair.

Takeda measured him up and decided to take another tactic. "Your brother was hospitalized for five years, isn't that correct?"

This succeeded in making Sesshoumaru meet his eyes. "That's correct. He was in a coma."

"From a bullet wound he sustained the night your parents were killed."

"Yes."

"You watched out for him during that time, and took him home with you when he finally regained consciousness?"

"I did."

"You helped him recover after he woke up. Helped him regain his faculties, his memory, who he was, even. You must care about him quite a bit."

Sesshoumaru passed a hand over his face. "Where is this leading, detective?"

"If you learned the identity of the one who'd killed your parents and hurt your brother, just what would you do?"

Sesshoumaru's eyes narrowed. "Kagura didn't kill my parents or put my brother in his coma."

"But she was there that night. You do take your brother's word on that fact, don't you?" Takeda pressed.

"I suppose. But he also said she didn't pull the trigger."

"That doesn't make her innocent. For all we know, she was a willing accomplice or even the mastermind herself. And yet you defend her still. Why?"

"I'm not—" Sesshoumaru started heatedly, then bit his tongue. Reigning himself back, he stated more calmly, "I'm not defending her. And I never even suspected she was involved until my brother told me so just a few minutes ago. Therefore, I had no reason to kill Kagura. How many times must we go over this same point? This is completely ridiculous."

He sank back in his chair and let his eyes wander from the detective. He'd clearly dismissed his presence entirely and was now lost in his own thoughts.

Captain Aoyama frowned behind the glass. "Where's the man's lawyer?"

Barazawa responded, "He waived his right to one. Said he didn't need one."

"Damned foolish thing to do for someone of his intelligence and status."

"Or he truly believes he's innocent and we don't have enough evidence to hold him," Barazawa proposed.

Aoyama grunted. "The hell we don't. No matter. Without a lawyer in the way, it's only a matter of time before Takeda breaks him."

Barazawa stared through the glass at the face of their prime suspect. It was a cold, emotionless mask. "You can't break what's already broken, Captain," he said gently.

"Excuse me?"

"It's just a feeling I have. When I look at and talk to this guy, all I sense is unbearable loss and grief. And this iron will that keeps him in control of himself. Keeps him functioning. When I first saw him with the body, I could tell he was unbelievably angry. I thought at the time, the murder could have stemmed from this rage. But in interrogating him further, I've come to realize it was the kind of anger that comes from confusion, from not understanding why this has happened, and wanting answers. Maybe also from wanting revenge."

"That revenge he wanted was against her," Aoyama broke in. "She betrayed him, he found out and killed her for what he'd done to his family and for deceiving him."

"As you've said yourself, this is a very smart man. He pulled himself out of tragedy and took over a multi-million dollar company at age twenty-one. One that has flourished since he's done so. A man of his intelligence and shrewdness would only feel anger towards one person when learning someone important betrayed him — himself, for not realizing it sooner. For letting her in and letting her take advantage of him. The anger he would feel towards Kagura herself would be secondary," Barazawa reasoned.

"As much as I value your insight, Barazawa, it's not exactly enough to clear him," Aoyama pointed out.

"Fine, look at the facts instead. There are too many inconsistencies. The man doesn't have a scratch on him, but that living room was trashed. It looked like a pretty terrific struggle. Not to mention, there was no blood splatter on his clothes, only staining from where he hugged her body. The front door was forced yet it's Sesshoumaru's own home. He should be able to enter without breaking in. As his brother pointed out, his daughter was hidden away inside the house yet he should've known she was there, either because he brought her himself or because he asked Kagura to. Either scenario doesn't explain why she was hidden and he didn't know about it. Finally...you should have seen when he found her, Captain. This girl must have witnessed the entire thing. But there was no ounce of hesitation before she threw herself into his arms. She felt safe with him. That's not a typical reaction for a young girl if she's just witnessed that man angrily beat and strangle a woman to death."

Captain Aoyama looked much less certain than before. "I see your point, detective. That certainly is a lot to account for…"

"Sir!" A junior officer came running up holding a file folder. "I just got ahold of the surveillance footage you asked for. Here are some still frames from it."

"Thanks," Barazawa said, taking the file and opening it. After a moment he passed it to the captain. "Try explaining that away too. Surveillance footage from Western Enterprises. Sesshoumaru left the building at 4:06pm."

"So?"

"Let me walk you through the timeline. The coroner examined the body on the scene around 5:00. She said the victim had been killed in the past hour. We got the call about the murder at 4:28. That means thirty minutes of that hour were already accounted for. Sesshoumaru didn't leave his work until 4:06 and it takes about fifteen to twenty minutes to drive from his company to his house, presuming he can avoid rush hour. This puts him at home around 4:20 to 4:25. The kids claim they arrived at the house at 4:25."

"The kids must've gotten there just after him," the captain said.

"Yes, sir. And call me crazy, but I don't think that's enough time to commit a crime of this magnitude."

Captain Aoyama blew out a long breath. "And we haven't made any leeway with the little girl, either. The psychologist says she's too traumatized. Clamming up is her defence mechanism or some such psychobabble. She thinks that if the girl returns to an environment where she feels safe, she might start to open up and come out of her silence."

"And the only place she feels comfortable and safe…"

"...is with him," Aoyama finished the sentence with a nod towards Sesshoumaru. "With this new evidence, we don't have enough to hold him anymore. It might even clear him completely, though I'm not willing to go that far. But if it does, it means we're back to square one in looking for Kagura Ishitaru's killer. And that little girl is now our best bet in identifying the perp. I think we'll have to cut this one loose and see if he can't get her talking again."

"I agree, sir. I'll go release him now."

Aoyama nodded and Barazawa left the room. After he'd gone, Aoyama punched the wall angrily. "Dammit!" he cursed.

There was still a killer on the loose.

..:V:..

Inuyasha tossed and turned in his bed. They'd finally gotten out of the police station at two in the morning. As Sesshoumaru's house was still a crime scene, they decided to travel to their old parents' house to stay the night instead.

The drive back was completely silent. Sesshoumaru drove, a pensive expression fixed on his face. Rin sat rigidly, eyes downcast and hands clenched in her lap. Kagome and Inuyasha sat on either side of her, not knowing what to say to either of them.

They had made a solemn procession into the dark house and with hardly a word to each other, found empty rooms in which to sleep.

But Inuyasha couldn't sleep. Too many thoughts whirled in his head. There were too many things he couldn't connect. Too many things his mind couldn't reconcile or make sense of. He was so angry with Kagura…but then seeing her there, dead on the living room floor… The anger faded and all he felt was sickness. He had thought the nightmare was ending, that they'd finally get some answers, but it was only the beginning of a new horrifying chapter.

He kicked off his sheets violently. He wasn't going to get any sleep, especially here in his old room. He got out of bed and made his way downstairs to get a glass of water.

It felt like walking through a time capsule, old memories rising to meet him at every turn. He wouldn't have come back here again so soon, but the thought of staying at Sesshoumaru's house now repelled him even more.

As he padded softly into the kitchen, he heard a familiar sound — fire crackling. He frowned, pouring himself some water before venturing out to the old family room. The fire in the fireplace was indeed lit and he saw the silhouette of his brother in a high backed chair facing it. Sesshoumaru acknowledged his presence with a glance and indicated to the chair beside him.

"Have a seat, Inuyasha."

Inuyasha made for the offered chair and sank into it as Sesshoumaru's gaze returned to the flames.

"Can't sleep?" Inuyasha ventured quietly.

"I should think that fact rather obvious," Sesshoumaru replied, though without his customary rancor.

"How's Rin?"

Sesshoumaru shook his head. "Much the same. More than wanting answers for Kagura's death, I wish this had never happened to her. To have witnessed a scene like that... She was already so fragile from her parents' death. She was just beginning to shine again, but this… This has reverted her back to how she was when I first met her. She won't say a word, not even to me. I'm not sure she can even completely focus on what's around her right now. I can't even imagine what she saw…"

"What can we do for her?" Inuyasha asked, knowing she had already recovered from her previous spell before he had woken up from his coma. He had never seen her like this before.

"Give her time," Sesshoumaru said, watching the fire dance. "She is strong and will come through like she did before. But she needs to feel safe and loved in order to do so."

They lapsed into silence before Inuyasha had the courage to ask the next question. "And...how are you doing?"

Sesshoumaru met his eyes for a moment before looking away again. "I don't really have an answer to that, brother. You've told me the woman I most respected in the world betrayed and lied to me. Not only that, she was involved in our parents' murder. I feel like I've been played in the worst way. I'm furious with myself for letting it happen. I'm furious for not seeing through the lies and trickery. But no matter how hard I try, I can't be furious at her."

Inuyasha swallowed thickly, knowing his brother was being more honest with him now than he had ever been before in his life. "Why?"

"I don't know. Instead of being put on by her...I feel as though I failed her. I'm sure there was something I could have done, something I've missed. If only I could have seen through the deceit to the truth, I could have… I could have…"

"Saved her?" Inuyasha guessed the end of his thought.

Sesshoumaru let out a breath. "Maybe it's a ridiculous thought. I should feel cold, unfeeling towards the woman who betrayed me. But I can't help but feel it wasn't all an act, that there was some truth to the compassion she showed towards us. Or maybe I'm just trying to convince myself I'm not the gullible fool I am."

"If you are a gullible fool, you're not the only one," Inuyasha replied grimly.

Sesshoumaru turned to him with a piercing gaze. "The fact of the matter is, she's dead, Inuyasha. Someone killed her. Since we're the only ones who know I didn't do it, that leaves us with the question who did? And why?"

Inuyasha opened his mouth to answer only to find he couldn't. He had been so fixed on proving his brother wasn't the murderer, it never occurred to him who it would actually be.

"She wanted to tell me something, you know," Sesshoumaru confided in him softly. "She wanted to come to my house and tell me something important. She seemed anxious and sad. I couldn't understand what she wanted to say and why she couldn't tell me right then. I'm still wondering now."

"Maybe she was going to tell you the truth?"

"Or was it still part of her act?" Sesshoumaru rebutted.

"But either way, she still ended up dead."

"And someone out there is responsible."

They were both silent for a moment before Inuyasha ventured, "Knowing what we know now about her… That she was there the night our parents were killed… And that she must have known who did it…"

"Maybe that person has now killed her too?" Sesshoumaru finished his thought. "Of course that thought crossed my mind. We'll see how long it takes for the police to reason it out for themselves. But we could just as easily be wrong. It could be someone completely unrelated."

"But if we aren't… That means somewhere in my head, I know the identity of the killer. So then Rin wouldn't be the only witness. If I could just remember, I could step forward. And we'd finally have the bastard. Shove him in jail and throw away the key," Inuyasha said with grim determination.

He was shocked when Sesshoumaru merely sighed in response.

"What?"

"Do you think that would really matter?" he asked, suddenly sounded incredibly tired.

"What?" Inuyasha repeated.

"Remembering that night. Don't you realize that in the grand scheme of things, it won't help at all?"

Inuyasha knit his brows. "What do you mean? I would know who killed our parents!"

"Yes, but… That doesn't mean we'll be able to get him incarcerated."

"Why not?"

"Think about it. You're the sole witness to an event that occurred six years ago. You were in a coma for five years. When you came out of it, you had trouble remembering your own name, much less what took place that night. There are holes in your memory and anything you do remember, comes to you in dreams. Who's to say whatever you end up remembering aren't just nightmares and complete fabrications?"

Inuyasha grit his teeth. "They're not fabrications! They're memories. You believe they are too or you wouldn't have accepted what I told you about Kagura. The police believed me too!"

"Of course I believe you," Sesshoumaru replied. "And the police will go along with it too because it gives them a solid lead. But once it comes down to a courtroom, any good defence attorney is going to tear you and your testimony apart. After all the trauma you've been through physically and mentally, your memories just aren't worth that much as solid evidence. If you are the only thing that backs the prosecution's case, the man who killed our parents, and possibly Kagura, is going to walk away a free man."

Inuyasha felt a hot flush run through his body. "I—I don't understand! I've been trying so hard to remember. I've come so far! You can't tell me it's all for nothing! You wanted it too. Why have you been hounding me to remember all this time if you knew it'd be worthless?"

Sesshoumaru looked at him sadly. "When have I ever asked you to remember that night?"

"You said I could solve the mystery of our parents' murder if I did!" Inuyasha protested. "You said it was the only reason you kept me around!"

"I was angry when I said those things. Had I ever said anything like them before?"

Inuyasha looked at him, spluttering for a moment. "Well…"

"Did I insist you remember that night the instant you woke up?"

"You…" Inuyasha paused, trying to think back. "Well, all those detectives asked me questions…"

"Those were detectives. Did I ever press you to remember? Think about that, Inuyasha," he said, standing up from his chair.

He walked to the doorway before turning back. "Kagura...was a cruel woman. She used and betrayed us horribly. But I can't stop…" He cleared his throat. "I can't help but feel I want to honour her memory, even if the woman I knew was a fabrication."

"What are you going to do about it?" Inuyasha asked, turning to survey him.

"Since she was murdered, they won't release her body until after the autopsy and such. But I'd like to hold a memorial for her anyway. We'll do it this weekend at Western Enterprises. So she'll be surrounded by family."

"What about her actual family?" Inuyasha asked.

"She didn't have one. Her father was an abusive alcoholic. Her mother ran off when she was young and her father died of alcohol poisoning when she was in her teens. She rose above a lot of hardship to get where she did. I thought she was extremely admirable for it. Now it seems she didn't rise above it as much as I thought."

Inuyasha sat in pensive silence for a moment. "So you want us to keep the truth to ourselves, and hold a memorial service for her, pretending all the while she was a perfect angel that meant so much to us?"

"She wasn't an angel, Inuyasha… But she did mean something to us. To me, at least. This will at least give me the chance to say good-bye to the woman I thought I knew, if not the woman she truly was."

Inuyasha turned back to glare into the fire. He didn't want to admit it, but Sesshoumaru's words struck a chord within him. He too was reluctant to let go of the caring, nurturing Kagura he'd known. It was hard to paint her in this new light as cold-blooded traitor without first mourning the woman who had stood by their side for so long, always encouraging and supporting them. With reluctance, he acquiesced to his brother's wishes, "Fine."

He continued to gaze into the flames, letting the minutes slip by. He had assumed his brother had left when his voice spoke up one more time.

"I feel like I failed Kagura, but in reality, I have failed you, brother. She knew all along you might remember that night at any moment. She might have been waiting, looking for a chance to silence you. I let someone so dangerous enter our lives so completely. I will be more diligent from now on. I will not fail you again."

At these words, Inuyasha turned to face his brother, but he was no longer there.

Inuyasha stayed in the family room, thinking for a long time. So much had happened. He could feel that so much more was about to happen. But it all felt wildly out of his control. His own death was supposedly looming over the next month. Kagome had vowed to protect him from it. Kagura, complicit in his parents' murders, had just been killed herself. Now Sesshoumaru was vowing not to fail him again. Rin was traumatized, witness to a gruesome murder that rendered her mute and petrified.

And over all this, Sesshoumaru's previous words rang in his ears. Inuyasha had always believed if he could just remember what happened on that night six years ago, just recall who was responsible...the nightmare would be over. But now Sesshoumaru was declaring it wouldn't even matter. His lost memory, the one weapon, the one tool he had to fight back...was useless.

Inuyasha sat up straight. No. That's not what he'd said.

A new idea formed in his head, slowly. It took shape, growing larger as he thought of the possibilities. He also thought grimly of the potential consequences, which could be a necessary risk.

He was tired of everyone else making sacrifices to try to keep him safe. Everyone was trying to protect and shield him, but it just left him feeling more helpless and scared. It felt as if his life were in everyone else's hands and he could only wait to see what happened. But if there were really a chance to take control of his life back, that power lay with him alone. He held the answers within him and he alone could make them count.

And when he finally got a hold of those answers, make them count he would.

* * *

A/N Hope you enjoyed! See ya next chapter!


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